7 CU Professionals Celebrate New Roles & Honors

EAST

The $261 million NorState Federal Credit Union in Madawaska, Maine promoted Kim Embelton to assistant vice president of branch administration. Embelton joined NorState in October 2020, bringing over a decade of financial experience. In her new role, she is responsible for maximizing member acquisition along with leading and managing the relationships between branch locations.

The $1.4 billion, Worcester, Mass.-based Webster First Federal Credit Union announced two promotions.

Felicia Dieppa was promoted to vice president of the Loan Center. Dieppa joined Webster First in 2006 as a teller. Since then, she has worked in eight different roles across the organization. She was heavily involved in the development of the credit union’s new Loan Center in 2022, when she was promoted to assistant vice president. In her new role, she will continue to oversee the operations of the credit union’s largest retail division and drive its ongoing success.

Megan Barnes was promoted to assistant vice president of the Loan Center. Barnes also joined Webster First in 2006 as a teller, and has worked in various roles across the credit union’s branches and operations center. Barnes has been working alongside Dieppa in the Loan Center since 2022, most recently as assistant manager.

Tiffany Abele, assistant vice president of talent solutions for the $2.7 billion, Rome, N.Y.-based AmeriCU Credit Union, received the New York State Society for Human Resource Management Dennis Ryan Memorial Volunteer Award during the organization’s Annual State Conference and Associated Council Meeting on Sept. 8.

The Dennis Ryan Memorial Volunteer Award honors the memory of Dennis Ryan, a previous long-standing member of SHRM and an enthusiastic volunteer in the human resources community, and is given annually to an individual who has shown exceptional volunteerism and service. In addition to serving as treasurer for Mohawk Valley Society for Human Resource Management, Abele serves as a board member for the Rome Chamber of Commerce. In June 2023, she completed the Leadership Mohawk Valley program through the Center for Leadership Excellence.

The $342 million, East Meadow, N.Y.-based Nassau Financial Federal Credit Union announced two promotions.

Victoria (Vicki) Aievoli was promoted to EVP of finance. Aievoli has been with Nassau Financial for over 28 years, starting as an accountant in 1994 and quickly ascending through various leadership roles, including accounting manager, internal auditor and senior director of internal audit. She was promoted to vice president of finance in 2019 and to SVP of finance in December 2022. In her new role, Aievoli will continue to collaborate with the executive team on strategic initiatives to ensure the credit union’s future success.

Kardim Brown was promoted to vice president of marketing. Brown began his career with Nassau Financial as an on-call teller in 2008 steadily progressed through roles of increasing responsibility, including assistant vice president of marketing. In his new role, he will continue to lead the marketing department while taking on the additional responsibilities of overseeing the relationship specialist department and the contact center. His leadership will be critical in driving Nassau Financial’s efforts to strengthen member engagement and enhance operational efficiency.

SOUTH

The $4.5 billion, Warner Robins, Ga.-based Robins Financial Credit Union hired Twany Edwards as accounting manager. Most recently, Edwards served as the director of finance for the City of Americus, Georgia. Before moving into government finance, Edwards worked as a senior tax accountant with Executive Tax & Consulting. In her new role, she will be responsible for overseeing the credit union’s accounting operations and financial reporting, and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards while contributing to the overall financial health of the organization.

CUSOS

Member Driven Technologies (MDT) in Farmington Hills, Mich., rehired Bill Illis to its team as vice president of technical operations. He previously served as an IT project manager for MDT. Illis brings over 20 years of leadership and large enterprise experience, having also previously served in a director role with the Defense Health Agency. In his new role, he will be responsible for leading MDT’s technical infrastructure team, ensuring systems, processes and teams work together to deliver a high standard of operational excellence. As part of his role, Illis will also ensure MDT can meet the continued demand for more secure, scalable systems and boosted operational efficiencies, helping credit unions navigate the modern technology landscape.

VENDORS

Finastra, a global provider of financial services software applications across lending, payments, treasury and capital markets, and universal banking, hired Andrew Bateman as EVP, lending. Bateman brings more than 30 years of experience in financial services, having most recently served as head of sales for corporates and international banking for FIS. In his new role, he is responsible for the leadership and growth of Finastra’s lending business unit. He is based in London, England.

Please send your People news items to Natasha Chilingerian at nchilingerian@cutimes.com.