2025 CU Times Luminaries Awards logo
This award celebrates three important leaders serving the credit union world. Their invaluable contributions, leadership skills, expertise and support of credit unions have elevated them to new levels of personal and professional success – all while keeping credit unions at the center of their focus.
We are very excited to share more about the finalists with you. Congratulations finalists!
Executive Leadership – Service Provider
Karen Gates – Gates Consulting
Established in 2023, Gates Consulting is a women-owned firm dedicated to supporting credit unions in achieving their HR goals through tailored, effective strategies. With over 15 years of experience in various HR roles, Karen brings deep expertise in workforce strategy, organizational design, and compensation alignment. She holds an MBA from Mount Saint Mary College and multiple professional certifications, including Professional in Human Resources (PHR), SHRM-CP, Certification in Organizational Design (CODP), and an EEOC certification from Cornell ILR School.
Under her leadership, Gates Consulting has expanded Fractional Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) services by 40%, enabling credit unions to access executive HR guidance on a flexible, cost-effective basis.
Juliet D'Ambrosio – Adrenaline
Adrenaline’s Chief Experience Officer, Juliet D’Ambrosio is a nationally recognized leader in brand strategy, helping credit unions transform their identities to achieve meaningful growth and deeper member connection. Over the past year, she led some of the industry’s most high-profile rebrands, including Harvard Federal Credit Union, EastRise Credit Union, Beginnings Credit Union, Mirastar Federal Credit Union, Emblem Credit Union, and BrightBridge Credit Union, each aligning purpose with bold, differentiated brand platforms.
Juliet’s influence reaches into the heart of institutional strategy, shaping how credit unions define, express, and live their purpose. Her leadership is rooted in deep listening, research-driven insights, and a belief that brand connects together culture, strategy, and service.
Catherine Berman – CNote
Catherine Berman is redefining how institutional capital reaches credit unions through her bold leadership at CNote, a mission-driven fintech platform that connects large-scale cash deposits with community financial institutions. As CEO/Co-Founder, Catherine has spearheaded the development of a cutting-edge AI-powered matching engine that allows her team to identify credit unions that match their clients needs mere in seconds; based on impact themes, geography, yield preferences, and duration.
This innovation has streamlined a traditionally manual process, enabling mission-aligned matching to happen in real time. The result: more efficient capital matching, reduced friction for institutions, and accelerated impact for communities across the country.
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.