Credit Unions Announce New Hires/Promotions; AmeriChoice Board Chairman Honored as 2025 Volunteer of the Year

Several credit unions, including LAFCU and Kitsap Credit Union, announced changes to their leadership teams, and AmeriChoice Federal Credit Union‘s long-time Board Chairman was honored with the 2025 Calvin H. Jackson Volunteer of the Year Award.

New Hires:

• InterLutions proudly announces the addition of Kelly Balodis as Client Services Manager. In this key role, Balodis will be responsible for managing and administering employee benefit programs, supporting credit union clients and their employees, and ensuring full compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Aux is thrilled to announce a new team member joining its ranks, enhancing its ability to deliver personalized, high-quality service. With this strategic addition, Aux continues to strengthen its position as a premier partner for credit unions nationwide. 
  • New Hire(s) 
    • Barrie Lollar – Controller
• Kitsap Credit Union is excited to announce that Matthew Wech has joined the team as the new Vice President of Sales. In this strategic leadership role, Matthew will be responsible for designing and driving the credit union’s sales strategy, focusing on growth, effectiveness, and fostering a high-performance culture. His leadership will be essential in executing sales strategies that align with the credit union’s business goals and values, ensuring continued success and member satisfaction.
• Day Air Credit Union is pleased to welcome Eric Albers to its growing Business Services team as a Commercial Relationship Manager. In his new role, Eric will work closely with business members to provide tailored solutions for their lending and treasury management needs. From loans and lines of credit to commercial real estate lending and a full suite of depository services, Eric takes a hands-on approach to helping businesses succeed every step of the way.

Recognitions:

• AmeriChoice Federal Credit Union is immensely proud to announce that Gregg Wells, our esteemed long-time Board Chairman, has been honored with the prestigious 2025 Calvin H. Jackson Volunteer of the Year Award by CrossState Credit Union Association. This significant recognition celebrates Gregg’s decades of unwavering dedication and transformative leadership, solidifying his legacy as a local legend within the credit union movement and the communities we serve.

Promotions:

• LAFCU has announced the promotions of Kimberly Austin to executive implementation officer and Justin Tuck to succeed her as director of collections. Kimberly Austin is a 32-year veteran of LAFCU and a member of its executive leadership team. In her new role as executive implementation officer, she will focus on enhancing operational efficiency by developing systems and structures to streamline processes across the credit union. Additionally, she will supervise the Loss Prevention department. During her long tenure at LAFCU, Austin led the collection department’s transformation in member interaction — engaging members on their platform of choice, starting conversations early and ensuring strategies benefit members and LAFCU. She also led the efforts for loss prevention and debit, ATM and credit cards, and has served as a branch manager. Austin initiated branch installation of instant-issue debit card machines. She has completed professional education in credit card management, advanced collections, and bankruptcy through what was formerly called the Credit Union National Association (CUNA), now called America’s Credit Unions. Justin Tuck, who joined LAFCU in 2014, succeeds Austin as director of collections. This is his fourth promotion. Tuck has held several roles at LAFCU, including senior member services representative, assistant branch manager, assistant vice president of branch operations and, most recently, business development officer. As director of collections, Tuck will oversee delinquent accounts, loan payment collections, and collateral recovery. He will also manage the hiring, training, and supervision of the collections team.
• Bay Federal Credit Union is pleased to announce the promotion of Sean Carter to Assistant Vice President, Mortgage Lending Operations. In this new role, Mr. Carter will oversee the underwriting, processing, and funding of first and second mortgages, including Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOCs). He will also manage the daily mortgage loan pipeline, support staff development through training and coaching, and ensure a high level of service for members at every stage of the mortgage process.

Appointments:

Members Trust Company (MTC) is proud to formally announce the appointment of two distinguished credit union leaders, Lucy Ito and Maurice Smith, to its Board of Directors. Their extensive experience and commitment to the credit union mission will further strengthen MTC’s vision and mission to serve credit unions and their members with trust and fiduciary solutions nationwide.

The Truliant Federal Credit Union Board of Directors has elected Gregory T. Johnson as its new chairman for the 2025-26 term. Johnson has been on the Truliant board since 2016, most recently as the vice chairman. He replaces James (Jimmy) T. Flythe, Jr., who joined the board in 2011 and has been its chairman since 2019. Flythe will remain on the board.