The $273 million Northland Area Federal Credit Union in Oscoda, Mich., has honored Jerry Erickson for 45 years of volunteer service to the credit union movement. The Northland Area board member has been active in both CUNA affairs and with the Blue Ox Chapter of the Michigan Credit Union League (MCUL). He holds a Blue Diamond Award and has served on several volunteer committees.

“Jerry Erickson has always been a trailblazer,” said MCUL Board Chairman Howard Spencer, “and it is my privilege to have enjoyed many years volunteering by his side.”

Erickson, who was honored at the credit union’s board meeting this month, said, “I believed then, as I do now, that the service credit unions give to their members and their communities is exceptional. Credit union people care about their neighbors, and that’s why I’ll keep volunteering for as long as they’ll have me.”

Also among credit union people across the country:

EAST

The $376 million People’s Credit Union of Middleton, R.I., appointed John T. Knierim to the position of executive vice president/chief financial officer. Knierim was previously employed as senior vice president and chief financial officer at the $1.1 billion Greylock Federal Credit Union in Pittsfield, Mass. Prior to Greylock, he was employed as chief financial officer at The Nashua Bank. He has experience in liquidity and capital planning and measurement, developing strategic business plans and strengthening internal control processes.

Knierim attended the State University of New York at Binghamton where he graduated with a B.S. in Economics.

The $780 million St. Mary’s Bank, the nation’s first credit union, announced the appointment of John Kneeland as its residential loan officer. He is based at the St. Mary’s Bank Mortgage Center in Nashua, N.H. Kneeland has more than 10 years’ experience the mortgage banking. He was co-founder and senior partner of Newpointe Mortgage LLC in Londonderry, N.H., and most recently served as mortgage development officer at Sovereign-Santander Bank in Nashua.

The $270 Mid-Atlantic Federal Credit Union announced it has promoted Brittany Hilton to senior marketing associate of the Germantown, Md.-based credit union. Since joining MAFCU in 2011, Hilton has developed an award winning social media strategy, overseen MAFCU’s Small Business University, and has rapidly become one of the faces of MAFCU in the community. In her new role, she will be responsible for revising MAFCU’s product and service offerings, further improving the Small Business University, and establishing an annual MAFCU Spring Cash Critters Signature event. Hilton is the youngest board member in Gaithersburg Germantown Chamber of Commerce history, and co-chairs the organization’s Young Professional Group.

MIDWEST

CU America Financial Services, Inc., a CUSO owned by six Illinois credit unions, named John Ochodnicky as the firm’s new president/CEO. He replaces Jerry Haley, who retired Oct. 31.

Ochodnicky has been with CU America for 14 years as a loan officer, and most recently, as vice president/sales manager. He has closed more than 1,200 loans for credit union members and was recognized by Chicago Magazine as a Top Mortgage Loan Officer in 2012 and 2013.

Haley’s credit union career spanned 26 years, and included positions with USA One Credit Union, CUNA Mutual and CU America.

SOUTH

The $680 million DATCU of Denton, Texas, has named Janice Sheppard as the credit union’s senior vice president of real estate.

Sheppard brings more than twenty five years of experience in the financial sector to her new position. She joins DATCU from the $302 million Southwest Airlines Federal Credit Union of Dallas, where she served the last 12 years as the senior vice president of mortgage lending and compliance.

Sheppard’s professional achievements include president of the Texas Credit Union Real Estate Network, Chairman’s Achievement Award, and American Credit Union Mortgage Association Membership Award.

Ron Dinwiddie, whose information technology career spans four decades, has been named chief information officer at the $796 million Texas Trust Credit Union of Mansfield, Texas. Dinwiddie is responsible for all the IT operations of Texas Trust, as well as for its Trust Data Systems subsidiary.

Following 22 years of service in the U.S. Navy, where he was a data processing master chief and command master chief, Dinwiddie held executive positions in banks and credit unions, most recently as senior vice president of IT with the $487 Houston Federal Credit Union. He previously worked with Statewide Bank and Midwest Independent Bank, an institution that served more than 450 community banks in three states. He started his post-Navy career at Lucent Technologies, followed by Sprint and Temple-Inland Forest Products, before moving into the banking industry.

Dr. Dorothy J. Orr, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the $423 million BrightStar Credit Union of Sunrise, Fla., was awarded the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Broward Education Foundation.

Orr has served on BrightStar’s board for more than 24 years. She is a strong advocate for education and has held a variety of positions in teaching and school administration, culminating in her 1999 appointment as Superintendent of Schools for Broward County, a position she held until her retirement. Orr was appointed by the school board as the first black female board member of the Broward Teachers Credit Union.

Orr holds a bachelor of science degree from Florida A&M University, a master of arts degree from the University of Michigan, and a doctorate of education from Nova Southeastern University. She is also an adjunct Professor at Florida Atlantic University.