Several credit unions, including Land of Lincoln Credit Union and First Tech Federal Credit Union announced new hires to their organizations, and team members from Lake Area Mortgage were recognized as Top Producing Loan Officers.
New Hires:
- Land of Lincoln Credit Union (LLCU) welcomes Gary Cecil as a Mortgage Loan Officer, serving membership in our Decatur, Bloomington, and Springfield regions. In this role, he will assist individuals in finding the right loan products and guide them through the mortgage loan application process. Gary comes to LLCU with a background in social work and education, holding previous positions as a Child Welfare Specialist for DCFS, a Teaching Assistant for Meridian Elementary School and, most recently, Interim Director of Student Success at Millikin University.
- Annette Collins joins Land of Lincoln Credit Union (LLCU) as Junior Commercial Loan Officer. Most recently she worked as a Senior Regional Manager at Woda Cooper Companies overseeing five states with Illinois being one of them with a base office in Maroa, IL. As LLCU’s Junior Commercial Loan Officer, Collins will be responsible for originating, managing, and monitoring a portfolio of commercial loans.
- First Community Trust, N.A. (FCT) announced that Jan Cliff is joining the team as the Senior Investment Officer to help lead investment portfolio strategies. In this role, Cliff supports the Chief Investment Officer by managing and analyzing client investments, constructing and maintaining portfolios, conducting thorough market research, and ensuring regulatory compliance.
- FIntegrate Technology is pleased to announce the addition of Ryan Esquell as Senior Sales Executive, bringing over 20 years of proven success in selling software to community banks, credit unions, and financial institutions across the nation. Ryan comes with an impressive background in complex consultative sales targeting C-Suite executives, with particular strength in penetrating new markets and building lasting relationships with financial institutions. His career highlights include being named Financial Institution Sales Executive of the Year in 2018 with $5.5 million in ARR and setting a new corporate annual sales record in 2022 with $2.2 million in ARR. Most recently, Ryan was a national sales executive for Teslar Software.
- First Tech Federal Credit Union (First Tech) announced the appointment of Stephen Poole to SVP of Addison Avenue Investment Services, where he will lead the investment program sales, compliance and client engagement functions. Stephen will report directly to First Tech President and CEO Greg Mitchell. Stephen joins Addison Avenue and First Tech with 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 (AUM) investment program affiliated with Raymond James and operated within Umpqua Bank, a $50 billion Northwest-based financial institution. During his tenure, he led the successful broker/dealer conversion from Cetera Financial Group to Raymond James.
- Genisys Credit Union is proud to announce the hiring of Scott Knopf as the new Vice President of Consumer and Business Lending. With over 15 years of experience in the credit union and lending industry, Knopf brings a wealth of knowledge and leadership to Genisys as the credit union continues its mission to provide exceptional financial services to its members. In this 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.
- Austin Telco Federal Credit Union is pleased to announce the appointment of Brad Meley as AVP of Commercial Lending. Brad brings more than 17 years of leadership experience within the credit union industry and a wealth of knowledge to his new role at Austin Telco. Prior to joining Austin Telco, Brad held leadership roles across several financial institutions. He spent four years at Q2 as both an Implementation Advisor and in Sales Operations. Additionally, he led the Commercial Lending Department at Firstmark Credit Union in San Antonio for four years and spent nine years at Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union, where he served as Vice President of Consumer Lending and later as Vice President of Commercial Lending.
- Robins Financial Credit Union is pleased to announce the appointment of Zoltan Szabo as the new Vice President of Risk Management. Szabo brings more than 25 years of experience across the financial services industry, with deep expertise in auditing, compliance, strategic planning, and enterprise risk.
Recognitions:
- Lake Area Mortgage – A Division of Royal Credit Union is proud to announce that six team members have been recognized as Top Producing Loan Officers by Minnesota Housing for their homeownership program loan production in 2024. Michelle Robinson, Derek Lodermeier, Marco Rodiles, Stephanie Oyen, Chao Vang and Joe Juliano were among the 125 loan officers across the state recognized for their dedication to helping homebuyers achieve their dream of homeownership through the Minnesota Housing program.
Promotions:
- Alloya Corporate Federal Credit Union announced that Jim Schneck has been named Senior Vice President of Payments. In this role, he will oversee Alloya’s Payments business. Schneck joined the corporate in 2018, overseeing the strategic planning process 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. His background includes serving clients as a member of financial and consulting firms such as McKinsey & Company and Houlihan Lokey, leading strategy and corporate development for a large marketing firm and founding advisory firms.
- Maine State Credit Union is proud to announce the promotions of two outstanding leaders within its organization. Mitch Ryan has been named Senior Vice President of Technology, and Jennifer Bechard has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Human Resources.
- Araceli Speed, a Greater Texas Credit Union employee for nearly 15 years, has been named Senior Growth Officer for the credit union. In her new role, San Marcos-based Speed is working to strengthen business development efforts across all Greater Texas’ markets, including initiatives to activate and deepen partnerships with Texas State University. Working closely with the many Greater Texas branches, local businesses, and others, Speed’s objective is to further expand the membership base by promoting Greater Texas and to enhance its community presence and visibility.
Appointments:
- Georgia United Credit Union is proud to announce the election of its 2025 Board of Directors Officers, a distinguished group of leaders whose service and experience will guide the organization through its next chapter of strategic growth, community impact and member-centered excellence.
- Tom Dickson has been re-elected Board Chairman. Mr. Dickson is the Mayor of Varnell, Georgia, and brings a distinguished background in education and public service to the role. He previously served as a teacher, principal and superintendent of Whitfield County Schools and was elected Representative of Georgia’s 6th House District. A dedicated Georgia United board member since 1997, Mr. Dickson continues his leadership as Board Chairman with an unwavering commitment to community advancement.
- Edwin T. Bell will serve as Board Co-Vice Chair and Chair of the Audit Committee. Mr. Bell is the Chief Administrative Officer for the State and Magistrate Courts of DeKalb County and holds previous leadership roles with the Superior Court of DeKalb County and the National Center for State Courts. A board member since 2018, Mr. Bell also brings extensive operational experience, supported by an MBA from Clayton State University and a Criminal Justice degree from Georgia State University.
- Reverend Mark Starr has been appointed Board Co-Vice Chair. Fr. Starr is the Pastor of Our Lady of LaSalette Catholic Church in Canton, Georgia, and is recognized for his engagement with Hispanic communities and multilingual leadership. With degrees in mechanical engineering, philosophy and divinity, Fr. Starr joined the Board in 2020 and previously served as Treasurer and member of the Audit Committee.
- Frank Thach will serve as Treasurer. Mr. Thach has been a Board member since 2011, previously serving as Vice Chair. He is also a trustee for the Employees’ Retirement System of Georgia and holds degrees in Industrial Management from Georgia Tech and an MBA from Mercer University.
- Sandy R. Burney has been elected Board Secretary. Ms. Burney is Managing Attorney at Burney Law, LLC, an Atlanta-based law firm serving individuals and businesses. She is an accomplished attorney with a Juris Doctorate from North Carolina Central University and a Policy Studies degree from Georgia State University. Ms. Burney joined the Board in 2023 and is an active member of several bar associations.
- Centra Credit Union VP of Facilities Sharon Taylor has been named president of the Banking Institutions & Credit Unions Facilities Council (BICUC), a community within the International Facility Management Association (IFMA). Sharon will serve a two-year term leading the council, which supports facility professionals in the financial services industry.