10 Credit Union Professionals Reach Big Career Milestones

WEST

Alicia Maese, vice president of people and culture at the $4.6 billion, Albuquerque, N.M.-based Nusenda Credit Union, was recognized as a 2025 40 Under 40 Honoree by Albuquerque Business First. Maese joined Nusenda as a human resources specialist and has since advanced through several key leadership roles, including senior HR systems specialist and director of HR operations. In her current role, she leads a team responsible for talent acquisition, employee benefits and well-being, payroll and compensation, employee lifecycle support, and engagement activities for more than 900 employees across New Mexico and West Texas. She has over 15 years of HR experience. The 40 Under 40 Awards recipients will be celebrated at a ceremony on May 31.

The $5.8 billion, Liberty Lake, Wash.-based STCU announced one new hire and four promotions.

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Steve Hauschild was hired as SVP – commercial banking. Since 2016 Hauschild has worked at BECU ($29.3 billion, Tukwila, Wash.) as market leader for Eastern and Central Washington, North Idaho and Oregon. He recently served on boards of the Spokane Colleges Foundation, Greater Spokane Incorporated and the MultiCare INW Foundation, and holds an MBA from Washington State University.

Tracy Ballard was promoted to SVP – human resources and organizational development. Ballard joined STCU’s team in 2012 and serves on the boards for Spokane Workforce Council and Spokane Angels, a nonprofit supporting children and families in the foster care community.

Amy Friemel was promoted to SVP – loan operations. Friemel joined STCU as continuous improvement manager in 2018 and was later promoted to vice president – director of continuous improvement. She previously was a vice president at Umpqua Bank after holding positions at Boeing and Triumph Composite Systems. Friemel is a board member for Northeast Youth Center.

Amy Warker was promoted to SVP – brand marketing. Warker joined STCU in 2018 as director of brand marketing. Warker serves on the boards for the Coeur d’Alene Downtown Association and the Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Traci McGlathery was named chief impact and advocacy officer. In this role, she will continue her advocacy work at the local, state and federal level on behalf of credit unions and the community. McGlathery joined STCU in 2011 as community relations manager. Her community work has included working with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of the Inland Northwest, Northeast Washington Education Council, SNAP and Women Helping Women. She was recognized by Greater Spokane Incorporation as a 2024 Childcare Champion.

EAST

Girado Smith, president/CEO for the $1.2 billion, Greenbelt, Md.-based Educational Systems Federal Credit Union, was inducted into the African American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC) Hall of Fame during the Governmental Affairs Conference in Washington, D.C. on March 4, 2025 at the OAS House of the Americas. Smith has over 25 years of leadership experience at Educational Systems and played a key role in launching The Rosemary Brinkley C-Level Leadership Development Program, a collaboration between AACUC and the credit union, designed to support and mentor diverse credit union leaders. He has also been instrumental in advancing financial education and inclusion through initiatives such as the Support Education Foundation, which he helped establish in 2017 to provide scholarships, professional development awards and charitable giving programs for students and educators. Smith serves on the boards of the Montgomery County Public Schools Educational Foundation, Inc., Metropolitan Area Credit Union Management Association (MACUMA) and MD|DC Credit Union Association Suburban Chapter. He holds a Certified Public Accountant designation.

The $3.9 billion, Smithfield, R.I.-based Navigant Credit Union hired Joseph Green as vice president, credit card portfolio manager. Green brings over 20 years of experience in the financial industry, specializing in consumer lending and payments. He most recently served as vice president and senior manager of product marketing at Credit Acceptance. In his new role, Green will be responsible for overseeing the development, implementation, profitability and management of both the consumer and business credit card portfolios. He has been recognized with several awards, including the Top Leader Award at Credit Acceptance and Newsweek’s Best Loyalty Programs for the “CitizensPlus” program.

MIDWEST

Steve Swanstrom, president/CEO for the $1.3 billion, Omaha, Neb.-based Centris Federal Credit Union, was elected for a three-year term as a director on the Nebraska Credit Union League’s Board of Directors. Swanstrom will represent credit unions under Asset Category A – $100 million and larger.

The $253 million, Brownstown, Mich.-based Advantage One Credit Union promoted Jessica Sawyer from vice president of member experience to COO. Sawyer has been with Advantage One for nearly 17 years. In her new role, she will be responsible for departments including branch operations and the contact center, and will continue to oversee member experience priorities.

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.