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WEST
In addition, SAFE promoted Tiffani Vargas to COO. Vargas most recently served as EVP, chief lending officer and retail banking officer for SAFE. In her new role, Vargas has direct oversight over the teams that oversee the member experience and provide services, benefits and outreach to SAFE’s 244,000 members. She will continue to oversee lending and member experience, with additional responsibilities for member service operations, marketing, communications, government relations and community relations to create stronger alignment across these key areas. Vargas joined SAFE in 2018 to oversee real estate lending, which quickly expanded to consumer and commercial lending along with loan servicing. She was named chief lending officer in early 2022 and added retail banking leadership responsibilities in 2024. Vargas’ career in real estate and lending spans three decades. She has served at the executive level of several large organizations, as well as served on the boards of First Tee – Greater Sacramento, the National Charity League, and Folsom’s Tourism and Economic Development Corp.
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The $9.8 billion, Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Ent Credit Union promoted Leanne Duran to chief risk officer. In her new role, Duran will lead Ent’s risk management strategies, ensuring the credit union continues to safeguard its membership as it prepares to surpass $10 billion in assets. She will also collaborate closely with internal teams, regulators and examiners to navigate necessary adaptations that uphold Ent’s safety and soundness. Duran joined Ent in May 2021 as vice president of internal audit and has nearly two decades of experience in governance, risk mitigation and regulatory compliance.
EAST
George Rudolph, president/CEO for the $8.7 billion, Harrisburg, Pa.-based PSECU, was named to the Central Penn Business Journal’s 2025 Power 100 List for the fifth consecutive year. The Power 100 List showcases executives, public officials and change-makers who drive economic growth and inspire others. Honorees are selected based on their leadership, influence and contributions to improving quality of life across central Pennsylvania. Rudolph’s other recent honors included being named to PA Business Central’s 2025 Top 100 People list.
The $263 million, Jay, Maine-based OTIS Federal Credit Union hired Melissa Sproul as vice president of operations. In her new role, she will lead the credit union’s operations team through developing and overseeing the delivery of services to members, implementing key organizational strategic plans and providing regulatory oversight. Sproul brings an extensive background in the credit union industry, with over a decade of experience specializing in credit union operations, culture change and process improvement.
The $315 million, Fairhaven, Mass.-based Alltrust Credit Union appointed Justin Bouley to its Board of Directors. Bouley currently serves as the corporate controller at Tech Etch, Inc. and has extensive experience in accounting, financial management and strategy.
MIDWEST
The $7.9 billion, Waterloo, Iowa-based Veridian Credit Union announced two promotions.
Alice Flores Cuellar was promoted to branch manager. Flores Cuellar has been employed at Veridian since 2022, most recently as a loan advisor. She is also bilingual, fluent in both English and Spanish.
Carmen McCoy was promoted to mortgage loan originator. McCoy has more than 10 years of experience in mortgage lending, including four years as a mortgage loan processor at Veridian.
The $4.1 billion, Saint Joseph, Mich.-based United Federal Credit Union announced two new hires to its commercial lending team.
The $277 million, Portage, Mich.-based Kalsee Credit Union promoted Matt Duguid to director of financial wellness. Since joining Kalsee in 2019, Duguid has played a key role in advancing financial wellness initiatives, most notably by creating and leading the Kalsee Employee Empowerment (KEEP) business development program. In this newly-created position, he will oversee the integration of business development, which encompasses Kalsee’s financial wellness outreach at local employers, with Aspire Financial Counseling – a team of state-licensed credit counselors – into a unified, holistic program.
SOUTH
VENDORS
The Dallas, Texas-based financial advisory services firm ALM First hired Rebecca Judge as senior manager, hedging operations. Judge brings more than 20 years of experience, having previously served in various roles at Hedge Trackers, LLC, where she built and led a client support team. Throughout her career, she’s also held roles at Tellabs, PepsiAmericas, Searle and Foster & Gallagher.
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.
