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EAST


Chris Kelly

AmeriCU ($2.6 billion, Rome, N.Y.) hired Chris Kelly as a mortgage executive. Kelly brings a background in real estate, construction and mortgage lending. He spent the last two and a half years as a mortgage loan officer, preceded by a career as a realtor and business owner in the construction industry. In his new role, Kelly will provide members with personalized solutions to navigate their homeownership journeys in the Syracuse, N.Y., area.

Francois Verleysen

Francois Verleysen, CEO of Signal Financial Federal Credit Union ($411 million, Kensington, Md.), announced plans to retire after more than a decade of leadership. Verleysen has spent more than 42 years in the financial industry, beginning his career as a paying and receiving clerk in the International Division of Maryland National Bank. He also held positions within Perpetual Savings Bank, Mellon Bank, Riggs Bank, Provident Bank and most recently, Bank Fund Staff Federal Credit Union ($6.4 billion, Washington, D.C.), where he led the growth and service delivery of the credit union before joining Signal Financial as CEO in 2014. Signal Financial’s Board of Directors has engaged with Cowen Partners to conduct a comprehensive search for a new CEO.

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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.

Community/People News