C-Suite Executives Named at First U.S. Community & Langley FCU
Other career moves include GoWest Association award winners and new hires at two tech vendors.
WEST
First U.S. Community Credit Union ($541 million, Sacramento, Calif.) hired Tyler Welch as CFO. In his new role, Welch will oversee the credit union’s financial strategy, accounting, and payment and processing operations, working alongside the executive team to drive strategic initiatives that support sustainable growth and member-focused financial solutions. Welch brings extensive expertise across financial strategy, accounting and operations within the credit union industry, having previously served as vice president of finance at Pacific Service Credit Union ($1.4 billion, Concord, Calif.). He holds a masters of accountancy degree.
EAST
The $5.3 billion, Newport News, Va.-based Langley Federal Credit Union hired Jerome Fowlkes into the newly-created position of chief impact officer. In his new role, Fowlkes will provide strategic leadership for key areas that are central to Langley’s mission and values, including human resources and organizational development, learning and leadership development, inclusion and belonging, foundation and corporate social responsibility, community and affinity group engagement, and development of business partnerships.
Michael Simoneau, SVP and community outreach officer for the $259 million, Manchester, N.H.-based Members First Credit Union, was appointed to the City of Manchester’s Heritage Commission.
In this role, Simoneau will work alongside other commission members to protect and preserve the city’s historically significant sites and structures. The Heritage Commission is responsible for ensuring the proper recognition, use and protection of Manchester’s valuable resources, including those with historic, cultural and aesthetic significance. It also reviews qualifying outdoor building permit applications in the city’s historic districts, assessing their potential impact on these areas. Simoneau has over 40 years of experience in the financial services industry, and in his role at Members First, he has focused on fostering relationships with the community. He also serves on the City of Manchester’s Zoning Board of Adjustment and as a board member for Families in Transition. He is a graduate of the Leadership Greater Manchester program.
The $2.2 billion, Lawrence, Mass.-based Merrimack Valley Credit Union hired Brian Harrington as vice president of finance and treasury. Harrington began his career in banking at State Street and subsequently held roles at other large financial institutions including Liberty Mutual, Citizens Bank and Amundi US (formerly Pioneer Investments). He joined the world of community banking at Newburyport Bank, where he worked as a senior financial analyst, assistant vice president and vice president, director of financial planning and analysis. Most recently, he served as vice president of financial planning and analysis at the $1.9 billion, Portsmouth, N.H.-based Lighthouse Credit Union (formerly Northeast Credit Union). In his new role, Harrington will oversee MVCU’s financial operations and strategic financial planning, playing a critical part in ensuring the credit union’s continued financial stability and growth. He holds a graduate degree in finance from Suffolk University in Boston.
LEAGUES
GoWest Credit Union Association announced four individual 2024 GoWest Award Winners.
Nicole Davison León, board director for the $1.7 billion, Tigard, Ore.-based Unitus Community Credit Union and executive director of the Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber in Portland, Ore., was named Distinguished Director of the Year. The Distinguished Director is someone who has displayed outstanding achievements and accomplishments as a credit union board member.
Scott Sager, CFO for the $383 million, Littleton, Colo.-based Colorado Credit Union, was named Young Professional of the Year. Sager has been involved in the credit union movement for more than a decade and was instrumental in establishing his local Young Credit Union Professionals group. In his seven years of service with the group, he helped found and played a key role in developing GoWest’s annual Young Professional Summit.
Dan Thurman, CEO of the $662 million, Idaho Falls, Idaho-based Frontier Credit Union, was named Summit Advocate. This award is presented to a credit union professional who demonstrates commitment and leadership in credit union advocacy and recognizes participation in the legislative and political process is essential for the long-term success of the credit union movement. Thurman began working in the credit union movement in 2002 and has led advocacy efforts for credit unions across Idaho and the nation.
Teri Robinson, CEO of the $121 million, Portland, Ore.-based Ironworkers USA Credit Union, was named Summit Icon. This award recognizes a credit union professional who exemplifies outstanding leadership in the credit union movement in advocacy efforts, social responsibility, credit union philosophy and community impact.
VENDORS
SMA Technologies, a Houston-based provider of a workload automation and orchestration platform for banks, credit unions and other financial services businesses, hired John Roper as chief revenue officer. In his new role, Roper will oversee the sales, customer success and partner teams, setting the strategic direction for SMA’s go-to-market activities. He brings over 20 years of experience leading companies through growth phases and driving strategic initiatives. Most recently, Roper served as chief revenue officer at Abrigo. His background also includes leadership roles at Sageworks (acquired by AKKR in 2018 and rebranded as Abrigo), Deloitte and Parata Systems, a BD company.
The New York, N.Y.-based customer interaction platform provider Glia hired Chad Haydar as SVP of alliances and channels. In his new role, Haydar will deepen partner relationships and broaden the company’s growing ecosystem, helping Glia and its partners achieve shared goals and continue to accelerate momentum in the market. He will also expand and amplify strategic relationships and diversify Glia’s extensive partner network to drive growth and joint success. Haydar’s team is responsible for supporting, enabling and creating value alongside the company’s growing community of integration partners, resellers, ISVs and distributors. Haydar brings over 20 years of experience building diverse partner ecosystems and successful go-to-market strategies for SaaS and technology companies. He most recently served as SVP of channels at contact center technology company Talkdesk. Prior to that, Haydar spent seven years at Oracle leading channel development across multiple global segments.
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