CU Professionals Receive Promotions & Recognitions

CU professionals attain profession milestones.

WEST

Monica Belz, CEO of the $125.9 million, Lihue, Hawaii-based Kauai Authorities Workers Federal Credit score Union, was acknowledged by Pacific Edge Journal’s 2020 Enterprise Achievement Awards as Hawaii’s Enterprise Government of the Yr. Belz has been on the helm of KGEFCU for 3 years, navigating native companies by the floods on Kauai in 2018 and now steering the neighborhood by a pandemic.

MIDWEST

The $1.4 billion Shoppers Credit score Union in Kalamazoo, Mich., promoted Mauri Story to mortgage mortgage officer within the Kalamazoo market, particularly the [email protected] workplace. The Western Michigan College enterprise main has been working at Shoppers since 2013 – first as a teller, however most just lately as a part of the staff of mortgage processors working behind the scenes.

The $1.45 billion, St. Paul, Minn.-based Hiway Credit score Union employed Brianne Meszaros as vice chairman of department operations.

Meszaros brings over 22 years of member service, department operations and enterprise growth expertise to the credit score union. Previous to becoming a member of Hiway, she was with Ameriprise Financial institution as director of operations. Earlier than becoming a member of Ameriprise, she spent 21 years within the credit score union world, together with 9 years with REAL Monetary Credit score Union and 10 years with Royal Credit score Union ($3.3 billion, Eau Claire, Wis.), which merged with REAL Monetary in 2008. Throughout her tenure with Royal, she held varied management roles in department operations, together with serving as vice chairman of department operations for 3 years, enjoying a key position in Royal’s Minnesota department enlargement.

Kelli Ellsworth Etchison, chief advertising and marketing officer and chief range officer for the $800 million, Lansing, Mich.-based LAFCU, was appointed to Michigan’s Black Management Advisory Council by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The council, housed within the Michigan Division of Labor and Financial Alternative, was created to serve in an advisory capability to the governor and develop, evaluation and suggest insurance policies and actions designed to forestall and eradicate discrimination and racial inequity in Michigan. Its 16 members and 4 committee chairs have been chosen from greater than 650 candidates. Every member represents Black leaders in a particular discipline. Ellsworth Etchison is a consultant in economics for the time period working Nov. 12, 2020 to Dec. 31, 2023.

EAST

Tina M. Sbrega, president/CEO for GFA Federal Credit score Union ($593.6 million, Gardner, Mass.) will retire in spring 2021. She is going to proceed to serve in a management position as chair of the wholly-owned subsidiary of GFA, Lighthouse Biz Options, LLC. Sbrega has labored within the monetary trade for greater than 45 years and with GFA since 1980. She was promoted from her place as president/COO to president/CEO in 2009. Underneath her management, GFA elevated its department places, greater than doubled its asset dimension and have become the primary credit score union within the nation to buy a stock-owned financial institution in 2012. Extra just lately, GFA was the primary monetary establishment in Massachusetts to offer banking providers to the authorized, licensed leisure and medicinal hashish trade. In 2020, Sbrega was inducted into the CCUA’s Corridor of Fame, and has acquired quite a few awards through the years for her innovation and neighborhood engagement.

The $4.27 billion State Workers Credit score Union of Maryland in Linthicum appointed Jim Mellendick as vice chairman of SECU Monetary Companions, a newly-formed division of the credit score union slated to launch in 2021. With over 16 years of expertise in wealth administration and banking, Mellendick will construct and lead a staff of various monetary advisors. Previous to becoming a member of SECU, he spent 11 years at Wells Fargo, the place he most just lately served as SVP, technique guide for the partnership between department and banking wealth administration. Earlier than that, he was a regional brokerage supervisor at Wells Fargo Advisors in Central Virginia. Mellendick has served with the Regional Brokerage Supervisor Nationwide Advisory Council, board of administrators for Large Brothers Large Sisters of Virginia and Virginia Supportive Housing.

The $892 million Harvard College Workers Credit score Union in Cambridge, Mass., employed Katie Armstrong as CFO. Along with overseeing the finance, collections and compliance capabilities, Armstrong can be a member of HUECU’s senior management. She has labored in monetary providers for over a decade, most just lately as CFO for the $345 million Boston Firefighters Credit score Union in Dorchester, Mass. Previous to that, her skilled historical past included roles at Admirals Financial institution and the auditing agency Wolf & Firm.

SOUTH

The $935.4 million, Bartlesville, Okla.-based Truity Federal Credit score Union promoted Kelli Blair to chief technique officer. Along with offering oversight for the advertising and marketing division, eCommerce and folks growth, she is going to present oversight for Truity’s undertaking administration groups. Blair started working on the credit score union in September 1985 as a teller and has held quite a few roles on the credit score union in her 35-year profession. She is an interpreter for the deaf and director of the Listening to Impaired Ministry at First Baptist Church in Bartlesville, a volunteer chaplain for the Tulsa State Truthful, and volunteer for the Southern Baptist Catastrophe Reduction Groups with certification in Vital Incident Stress Administration.

CUSOS

Michigan Enterprise Connection, LLC, an Ann Arbor-based business lending CUSO, welcomed three new staff.

Patrick Pattison joined MBC as a enterprise lending affiliate. Pattison will work with credit score unions to course of small enterprise loans together with offering coaching and help. He will even work instantly with credit score union enterprise debtors. His monetary providers profession started greater than 25 years in the past as a business credit score analyst for Michigan Nationwide Financial institution. He was then promoted to department supervisor earlier than changing into a non-public banking/medical observe group assistant vice chairman for Fifth Third. Pattison most just lately served as a Key Financial institution NA Non-public-Banking Affiliate.

Taryn Wilkie joined MBC as an operations affiliate. In her new position, she is going to present help for the documentation and servicing departments, in addition to help with help duties associated to mortgage data and digital and bodily recordsdata. Wilkie started her monetary providers profession at Financial institution of America earlier than becoming a member of Monroe Financial institution & Belief as a customer support consultant, the place she was promoted to ATM upkeep consultant after which to digital banking consultant. She most just lately labored as an operations specialist for Waterford Financial institution.

Rayna Fackender joined MBC as an administrative assistant. In her new position, she is going to present administrative help for the operations and servicing departments. She started her profession in administration in 2010, when she labored at a authorized help agency based mostly in Minnesota as an operations administrator. Fackender most just lately held positions with Lawrence Tech and a digital advertising and marketing agency.

Please ship your Folks information objects to Natasha Chilingerian at [email protected]

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