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EAST


Virginia Credit Union ($6.8 billion, North Chesterfield, Va.) and its Member One division announced two promotions.

Mike Brunson

Mike Brunson was appointed to the newly-created role of EVP/chief risk officer. In his new role, Brunson will work directly with VACU President/CEO Chris Shockley and other senior leaders on the design and execution of VACU’s enterprise risk management infrastructure. His key responsibilities will include oversight and ongoing development of risk assessment and mitigation strategies to ensure successful execution of the credit union’s strategic plan; serving as an advisor, resource and collaborator on risk-related issues, including internal controls, credit risk, data management, cybersecurity and regulatory compliance; and monitoring emerging risks, industry trends and new technologies for their potential to impact VACU. A Certified Public Accountant, Brunson has more than 30 years of experience as an audit and accounting professional, including over two decades with VACU. He spent a decade in his previous role as the credit union’s EVP/chief audit executive.

Kenya Maddox

Kenya Maddox was promoted to SVP/chief audit officer. In her new role, Maddox will report to Shockley while working closely with VACU’s Supervisory Committee in support of its oversight responsibilities. Her chief responsibilities include risk assessment and evaluating internal credit union controls. Maddox is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Information Systems Auditor with more than 30 years of experience performing operational and financial audits in the financial services industry. In her 25 years at VACU, she has worked in various internal audit roles, most recently as vice president internal audit.

Francis Collins

People’s Alliance Federal Credit Union ($314 million, Hauppauge, N.Y.) hired Francis Collins as EVP. Collins brings over 40 years of experience in the banking space, having previously served as SVP – credit at the $9.8 billion Teachers Federal Credit Union in Hauppauge, where he oversaw all aspects of lending, loan servicing and collections. In his new role, he will drive strategic initiatives, foster organizational growth, and ensure operational excellence and efficiencies.

The $903 million, Leominster, Mass.-based All One Credit Union (formerly known as Leominster Credit Union) announced seven promotions.

Katie Najjar was promoted to chief member experience officer. In her new role, Najjar will oversee and collaborate with both the retail and marketing divisions to further develop initiatives and programs impacting growth opportunities. She joined the credit union five years ago as SVP retail.

Katie Najjar


Justin Silva was promoted to vice president retail. In his new role, Silva will continue to oversee the Member Service Center and support the chief member experience officer in leading the retail area. He joined the credit union as an intern at the West Boylston Street Branch in 2000 and has progressed through various roles within the branch network and retail division.

Justin Silva


Tina Cicero was promoted to assistant vice president area manager. In her new role, Cicero will continue to manage the West Boylston Street Branch while also overseeing the branch managers of the Sterling and Shrewsbury Street branches. She has been with the credit union for more than seven years and has served as a branch manager for the last three and a half years.

Tina Cicero


Nichole Howarth was promoted to vice president operations. In her new role, Howarth will oversee all aspects of operations including account operations, digital operations, payment operations and retail operations. She joined the credit union eight years ago and has served in a management capacity on both the retail and operations sides.

Nichole Howarth


Meg Zamarro was promoted to digital operations manager. In her new role, Zamarro will lead the day-to-day operations of the digital operations team and support the credit union’s digital platforms. She joined the credit union seven years ago in the Member Service Center and has been a member of the digital team for the last four years.

Meg Zamarro


Dawn Garrigan was promoted to payment operations manager. In her new role, Garrigan will lead the day-to-day operations of the payment operations team and support all of the credit union’s payment channels. Dawn has over 20 years of operations experience and has worked for the credit union for more than 10 years.

Dawn Garrigan


Josh Laprade was promoted to assistant vice president information technology. In his new role, Laprade will lead the day-to-day operations of the IT team while playing a critical role in projects and technology initiatives throughout the credit union. He joined the credit union seven years ago and has been the IT manager for the last three years.

Joshua Laprade

MIDWEST


Dharmesh Patel

The $14.5 billion, Caledonia, Mich.-based Lake Michigan Credit Union (LMCU) promoted Dharmesh Patel to vice president commercial lender for the Southwest Florida region. Patel has nearly 20 years of experience in the banking industry and has worked in a number of commercial and retail roles at LMCU. In his new role, the Fort Myers-based Patel will help connect area businesses with commercial loan products to expand their operations.

SOUTH


Jeff Kunberger

The $17.8 billion, Tampa, Fla.-based Suncoast Credit Union appointed Jeff Kunberger as executive director of foundations. In his new role, Kunberger will oversee the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation, furthering the credit union’s mission of enriching lives and serving communities. He will also lead efforts to develop and implement impactful community initiatives, oversee donation and grant programs, and strengthen partnerships with nonprofits and organizations that serve diverse populations. Kunberger has nearly two decades of experience at Suncoast, where he has held a variety of roles since joining the organization in 2007. He began as a financial counselor, followed by positions as service center manager and most recently, director of service center operations.

Ray Tanner

The Board of Directors for the $4.7 billion, Lancaster, S.C.-based Founders Federal Credit Union appointed Ray Tanner to serve as a director. Tanner began his role as senior advisor to the president and athletics director emeritus at the University of South Carolina on Jan. 1, 2025, after serving as the Gamecocks athletics director for more than 13 years. Prior to that, he was Carolina’s most successful baseball coach ever, at the helm for 16 years, taking the two back-to-back national championships in 2010 and 2011.

Robert Gray

Allegacy Federal Credit Union ($2.3 billion, Winston Salem, N.C.) hired Robert Gray as SVP of business services. Gray brings more than 25 years of experience leading commercial banking teams at regional and community institutions, as well as a background in strategic leadership, team development and driving growth in commercial banking. As head of Allegacy’s business services division, he will oversee a comprehensive suite of financial solutions, including commercial lending, treasury management, employee benefits, insurance and financial planning. Gray will also lead a team focused on fostering relationships that help businesses achieve their goals and contribute to the local economy.

CUSOS


Tiffany Niederwerfer

Nook, a certified HubSpot Solutions Partner serving credit unions, wealth management firms and fintechs, appointed Tiffany Niederwerfer as president. She will also lead Nook’s newly-created division that provides tech-enabled marketing strategy, automation and execution solutions designed specifically for the financial services industry. Niederwerfer most recently served as Nook’s chief strategy officer.

Members Development Company (MDC), the credit union network’s multi-million-dollar research for development department, hired Ashley Kohlrus as COO. In her new role, Kohlrus’ focus will be on owner engagement and strategic execution, ensuring MDC continues to deliver value-driven solutions tailored to each owner’s evolving needs. She brings more than two decades of leadership experience in the credit union industry, having previously served as EVP, chief operations and digital officer at Allegacy Federal Credit Union and director of membership for America’s Credit Unions. She holds a master’s degree in organizational change and leadership from Pfeiffer University in Misenheimer, N.C., as well as several credit union-specific designations, including CUES’ Certified Innovation Executive.

Ashley Kohlrus


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.

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