Credit/AdobeStock
WEST
Eric Maldonado Eric Maldonado, business development manager for the $8.5 billion, Santa Rosa, Calif.-based Redwood Credit Union, was named Latino of the Year by the Board of Directors of the Hispanic Chambers of Commerce of San Francisco (HCCSF). Maldonado is an experienced community advocate skilled in nonprofit organization, business planning, analytical skills, coaching and sales. HCCSF presented him with the Latino of the Year Award during a Hispanic Heritage Month Networking event at Mayah Restaurant in San Francisco on Sept. 17.
Joe Christian, president/CEO for the $4.9 billion, Albuquerque, N.M.-based Nusenda Credit Union, was recently honored by the New Mexico State University's College of Business along with other alumni for outstanding career achievements at its 2024 Hall of Fame banquet.
Joe Christian With over 35 years of service at Nusenda, Christian has held several key leadership positions. Prior to being appointed president/CEO, he served as EVP of operations from 2014- 2019, COO from 2011-2014 and chief administrative officer from 2007-2011. His began his career at Nusenda in 1986 as a data processing manager, where he led the information systems department. Christian has received multiple accolades, including Leadership Awards from the Albuquerque Journal in 2019 and 2022, and being named one of the top 100 national Influencers in Finance by The Business Journals in 2019. He also serves on the boards of CU Anytime, the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce and Constellation Digital Partners, among others.
EAST
Jamie Mawhinney The $1 billion, South Portland, Maine-based Atlantic Federal Credit Union promoted Jamie Mawhinney to COO. Mawhinney has been with Atlantic for 12 years. In her new role, she will oversee deposit operations, payments and fraud, and continue her current lending, loan servicing and member solutions responsibilities. She also joins the Senior Leadership Team and will play a key role in shaping the credit union's operational strategy to meet the evolving needs of the people in Southern Maine.
MIDWEST
The $7.5 billion, Waterloo, Iowa-based Veridian Credit Union hired Dave Clauson as a mortgage loan originator. Clauson brings 32 years of experience in mortgage lending, having most recently served as a home mortgage consultant for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage.
Dave Clauson The $2.9 billion, Muskego, Wis.-based Corporate Central Credit Union hired Raghu Gandhe as data and analytics architect. In his new role, Gandhe will be responsible for designing, developing and operating scalable, reliable, resilient, cost-efficient, and secure data and analytic solutions for Corporate Central's SaaS applications and fintech innovation. He brings over 18 years of experience in data and analytics, having worked across various industries including healthcare, IT, retail, security and manufacturing. Gandhe holds a master's degree in electrical engineering from the City University of New York.
Raghu Gandhe CUSOS
David Knowles The St. Petersburg, Fla.-based TriVerity, a Velera company, named David Knowles president. In his new role, Knowles will oversee the delivery of services, contracting, digital integration, marketing, IT, support and more within TriVerity. Knowles will also lead disputes and operations for Velera. Knowles joined Velera by way of the PSCU/Co-op Solutions combination in January 2024. He most recently served as SVP of client delivery and operations with Co-op Solutions. Originally from the United Kingdom and now based in Charlotte, N.C., Knowles holds more than 20 years of experience in the financial services and consulting industries, holding positions across advisory consulting and multinational banking functions in the United States, Bermuda, Latin America and Europe. He started his financial services career in collections. Knowles holds a diploma in international business management from L'Institut d'Administration d'Enterprises at the University of Montpellier in France.
VENDORS
Kelly Williams York Public Relations, an Atlanta-based public relations and marketing firm dedicated exclusively to financial institutions and fintechs, hired Kelly Williams as chief revenue officer. In his new role, Williams will lead York Public Relations' revenue growth initiatives, playing a crucial part in aligning the agency's sales, marketing and customer success teams to drive sustainable expansion. Williams brings more than three decades of experience in fintech sales and business development, and will leverage his extensive industry knowledge to identify new market opportunities and enhance client relationships.
Please send your People news items to Natasha Chilingerian at [email protected].
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Natasha Chilingerian
Natasha Chilingerian has been immersed in the credit union industry for over a decade. She first joined CU Times in 2011 as a freelance writer, and following a two-year hiatus from 2013-2015, during which time she served as a communications specialist for Xceed Financial Credit Union (now Kinecta Federal Credit Union), she re-joined the CU Times team full-time as managing editor. She was promoted to executive editor in 2019. In the earlier days of her career, Chilingerian focused on news and lifestyle journalism, serving as a writer and editor for numerous regional publications in Oregon, Louisiana, South Carolina and the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition, she holds experience in marketing copywriting for companies in the finance and technology space. At CU Times, she covers People and Community news, cybersecurity, fintech partnerships, marketing, workplace culture, leadership, DEI, branch strategies, digital banking and more. She currently works remotely and splits her time between Southern California and Portland, Ore.
