Ent CU, Members 1st CU, Teachers FCU Reveal Promotions

Ent CU, Members 1st CU, Teachers FCU Reveal Promotions
February 13, 2017 Marketing GrafWebCUSO

This past week, nine credit unions announced new hires, retirements and promotions, including the PenFed Foundation, which hired a former White House liasion as director of communications and development.

WEST

The $4.7 billion Ent Credit Union in Colorado Springs, Colo., promoted Brian McQuinn to staff attorney. He will oversee Ent’s trademark, patent and intellectual property in addition to supporting the organization’s vendor management program through contract reviews, compliance and legal research, and serving as a liaison with Ent’s external legal counsel. McQuinn joined Ent in 2015 through the CU/DU Legal Residency Program, which is jointly operated by the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and the University of Colorado Law School. The program provides new lawyers with training and employment opportunities to help them launch their careers.

Larry Thorne, a long-time employee with the $8.2 billionAmerica First Credit Union in Riverdale, Utah, retired after 44 years with the credit union. Thorne started his career with America First as a typist in the lending department. His more than four-decade career spans positions in a variety of departments, from teller to office manager, followed by roles in senior management. Thorne served as vice president of finance and operations and vice president of credit administration, among other roles. Most recently, Thorne served as vice president of north central branches from 2007 to 2017.  

The $171 million Members 1st Credit Union in Redding, Calif., promoted Jacob Carpenter (pictured) to CFO. Carpenter started at Members 1st in March of 2011 as senior accounting specialist. During his tenure with Members 1st he has grown into a leader within the credit union, maintaining a high standard of excellence in accounting while working to streamline processes and reinforce the cooperative nature of the credit union’s company culture. In addition to his role at Members 1st, Carpenter is an adjunct professor at Simpson University and has served as treasurer on his competitive rugby team.

EAST

The $5.4 billion Teachers Federal Credit Union in Hauppauge, N.Y., promoted Christopher Welga to vice president of enterprise risk management. Welga, a TFCU employee for 17 years, most recently served as information technology supervisor and assistant vice president – risk management. In his new position, he will oversee the credit union’s security, fraud prevention, business continuity and disaster recovery, compliance regulation and safety divisions, including cybersecurity and protecting credit union members from outside threats.

The PenFed Foundation in Tysons, Va., hired Brian Hawthorne as director of communications and development. Hawthorne is a former senior advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs for strategic messaging and White House liaison with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Hawthorne will be responsible for planning and executing the foundation’s fundraising and government relations activities.

SOUTH

Brad Baker, CFO and SVP of finance and administration at the $1.8 billion GTE Financial in Tampa, Fla., was a finalist for the 2017 Tampa Bay Business Journal CFO of the Year award. His accomplishments and achievements were recognized alongside fellow CFOs at the CFO of the Year Awards in Tampa. Baker has spent more than 25 years at GTE Financial and has played an integral role in helping to mold it into the successful financial institution it is today. Baker led the effort to partner with Equifax and provide members with free quarterly credit scores on their statements at no cost to GTE Financial. The scores are crucial to enabling members to improve their finances.

The $439 million BrightStar Credit Union in Miami promoted Biana Murnane to EVP and CFO. An experienced leader in the finance industry and BrightStar employee for 20 years, Murnane began her career working for a South Florida CPA firm. In 1997, she joined BrightStar as a controller, where she managed the accounting department. This year, she celebrates two decades with the organization. In her new EVP/CFO role, she will assist the president/CEO in running the overall organization. She will continue to be responsible for overseeing the accounting and EFT departments.

The $274 million Credit Union of Georgia in Woodstock, Ga., named Jerry Ragan president/CEO. Ragan has more than 30 years of experience in the financial industry.

Before joining Credit Union of Georgia, Ragan (pictured) served as both a senior credit officer for commercial lending and chief credit officer for United Community Bank. Prior to United Community Bank, Ragan served in senior and executive roles at First Citizens Bank and Trust, SunTrust Bank and NationsBank.

The $693 million University of Kentucky Federal Credit Union in Lexington, Ky., hired of Bob Doucette as vice president of information technology.Doucette has more than 20 years of IT and operational management experience. He most recently served as chief information officer of First Guaranty Bank, an institution with $1.6 billion in assets.

Prior to his time with First Guaranty Bank, Doucette (pictured) invested more than 10 years with Fifth Third Bank of Cincinnati.

Please send your People news items to Tahira Hayes at thayes@cutimes.com.