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WEST
The $427 million, San Diego, Calif.-based Wheelhouse Credit Union hired Jesse Avery as CFO. In his new role, Avery will oversee all aspects of the credit union’s financial strategy and operations, including long-term planning, budgeting and financial performance optimization. He brings more than two decades of financial leadership experience, having most recently served as vice president of finance at the $9.3 billion San Diego County Credit Union. Prior to that, he held senior financial positions at Silvergate Bank, including director of treasury. He began his career at Wells Fargo Bank.
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The $17 billion, San Jose, Calif.-based First Tech Federal Credit Union hired Stephen Poole as SVP of Addison Avenue Investment Services, a division of First Tech. He succeeds Kelly Corah, former president of Addison Avenue, who retired in June after 27 years of service. In his new role, Poole will lead the investment program sales, compliance and client engagement functions. He brings over 25 years of experience leading investment and wealth management teams. Previously, he served as SVP for Columbia Wealth Advisors, a $3 billion assets under management investment program affiliated with Raymond James and operated within Umpqua Bank.
MIDWEST
The $8.4 billion, Naperville, Ill.-based Alloya Corporate Federal Credit Union promoted Jim Schneck to SVP of payments. He succeeds Kurt Stevenson, who plans to retire in February 2026. In his new role, Schneck will oversee Alloya’s Payments business. Schneck joined the corporate in 2018 as chief strategy and innovation officer. He was also responsible for Alloya’s payments business growth and innovation efforts, assessing changing technology and industry dynamics to determine the most advantageous growth pathways for members and Alloya. Before joining Alloya, he served as a member of financial and consulting firms such as McKinsey & Company and Houlihan Lokey.
The $8.1 billion, Waterloo, Iowa-based Veridian Credit Union promoted Autumn Wedemeier to team leader of the member contact center. Wedemeier has been employed by Veridian for four years, most recently as a loan originator.
The $5.5 billion, Auburn Hills, Mich.-based Genisys Credit Union hired Scott Knopf as vice president of consumer and business lending. Knopf brings over 15 years of experience in the credit union and lending industry, including leadership roles in both consumer and commercial lending, credit operations and portfolio management. In his new role, Knopf will oversee all aspects of consumer lending, business lending and collections, ensuring strategic growth while maintaining Genisys’ high standards of member service and financial integrity.
CUSOS
The Portland, Ore.-based business services CUSO CU Business Group (CUBG) promoted Nigel Ramoz-Leslie to SVP and chief credit officer. In his new role, Ramoz-Leslie will oversee all facets of business lending support and new money originations, credit risk management and portfolio guidance for CUBG’s credit union clients. He has hands-on commercial lending experience across both credit unions and community banks, having begun his financial services career in the branch network before moving into commercial lending and special assets roles. His background also includes credit analysis, treasury products, cash management and deposit operations. He joined CUBG in 2016, where he has led and advised teams in underwriting, loan structuring, portfolio management and credit analysis, including oversight of CUBG’s Fast Track program for small business loans.
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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.
