5 Credit Unions Kick Off 2025 With New Hires & Promotions

WEST

The $496 million, Billings, Mont.-based Valley Credit Union hired Steven Foster as chief marketing officer. In his new role, Foster will be responsible for the development, execution and optimization of comprehensive marketing strategies that align with Valley Credit Union’s mission and growth objectives. Foster most recently served as chief marketing officer at the $675 million Frontier Credit Union in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

The $371 million, Saint Helens, Ore.-based InRoads Credit Union hired Amy Zimmerman as chief financial and risk officer. In her new role, Zimmerman will lead the accounting, finance and risk management teams, and will be instrumental in guiding the financial strategy and direction for InRoads. She brings over 15 years of experience in the credit union industry, having most recently served 13 years at the $1.6 billion, Oregon City, Ore.-based Rivermark Community Credit Union. During her tenure at Rivermark, Zimmerman held various positions including vice president of financial planning and analysis. She is currently pursuing a dual master’s degree at Eastern Washington University.

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The $1.6 billion, Capitola, Calif.-based Bay Federal Credit Union promoted Michael Atkinson to assistant vice president of marketing. In his new role, Atkinson will lead initiatives to attract new members, strengthen existing relationships and expand product offerings, while ensuring the credit union’s marketing strategies align with its mission and goals. He will also oversee creative production across digital, social and traditional channels to maintain brand consistency and deliver high-quality results. Atkinson has over 20 years of experience in the financial industry, during which time he gained expertise in campaign development, graphic design, copywriting, email marketing, social media, online and mobile banking, website content and search engine optimization (SEO), digital signage and paid media campaigns. He began his career at the credit union as a member service representative and has since served in roles including assistant site services manager, senior marketing and graphic design specialist, and digital marketing manager.

EAST

The $7.4 billion, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.-based Hudson Valley Credit Union hired Nell Acosta as vice president, director of digital channels. Acosta previously served as senior managing director, head of digital delivery and Salesforce technology at Webster Bank. In her new role, she is responsible for enhancing digital member relationships, expanding business development online and implementing testing strategies to improve key metrics. Acosta earned her MBA from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business.

The $612 million, Baltimore, Md.-based Johns Hopkins Federal Credit Union promoted Steve Hudson to chief strategy and finance officer. In his new role, Hudson will be responsible for contributing to the development, implementation and execution of the credit union’s goals and objectives, and leading the organization’s finance/accounting and payments/debt management departments. Hudson has more than 27 years of experience in financial services and senior management. He has been with JHFCU since 2009, serving first as the vice president of finance and then CFO beginning in 2018.

VENDORS

The Dallas, Texas-based financial advisory services firm ALM First announced two new hires.

Tavish Taylor was hired as director, advisory services. Taylor began his career working in data analytics, then decided to become a CPA and began consulting with credit unions and banks throughout the northwestern United States. He most recently served as CFO for the $306 million, Helena, Mont.-based Intrepid Credit Union. He also served in various roles for the $1.4 billion Credit Union 1 in Anchorage, Alaska, including leading internal teams as vice president, data and strategy.

Ben Chilanga was hired as associate, advisory services. Chilanga brings over a decade of experience, having previously served as senior financial analyst at First Citizens Bank. He also served as a financial analyst for Albertsons Companies, Ada County, Idaho and Clearwater Analytics, LLC. Chilanga is a Chartered Financial Analyst and Financial Risk Manager, and is currently pursuing the Bank Treasury Risk Management certification.

Please send your People news items to Natasha Chilingerian at [email protected].

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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.