SAN FRANCISCO – Kathy Garner, President and CEO of Northwest Corporate CU, was appointed to the executive committee of The Western Payments Alliance, one of the country's largest regional payment firms. Garner has been a member of the WesPay Board since 2000. The executive committee is made up of six WesPay Board members. WesPay's members include more than 1,000 banks, thrifts and credit unions in the western U.S. "As the convergence of paper-based and electronic payments accelerates, WesPay has an outstanding opportunity to enable all members to reduce costs, enhance risk management and improve overall efficiency," said Garner. Each year WesPay collects and clears more than seven million checks totaling $7 billion.