CREDIT UNION HEROES

2015 Credit Union Heroes

Banker & Tradesman annually asks readers to nominate the Credit Union Heroes among us. We set out to find those who demonstrate leadership and commitment within their credit union and in the communities they serve, and our 10 winners accomplished all of that and more. We invite you to read their stories and join us in congratulating this year’s Credit Union Heroes!

John C. Feitor

John C. Feitor

Hard work and volunteerism are the hallmarks of John Feitor’s life. When he emigrated from Portugal in 1968, he didn’t speak English. “I started from the bottom of the barrel as a cleaner and window washer, and worked my way up,” he said. He joined a small janitorial...

Susan Franklin

Susan Franklin

Susan Franklin may seem a mild-mannered credit union professional by day, but at night (particularly during October), this Credit Union Hero can turn herself, and others, into fearsome monsters brought back from the grave. But we’ll get to that part later. Like so...

Kathy Fratamico

Kathy Fratamico

Kathy Fratamico was 23 year old and working at the post office when she became a member of Pioneer Valley Credit Union. Almost immediately, she was asking the CEO what the credit union did for its members. “He said, ‘Why don’t you come on the board?’” Fratamico...

George Hardiman

George Hardiman

George Hardiman remembers accompanying his father to the local credit union as a boy and perceiving it as a force for good in the community. “I always had a fondness for credit unions and through personal experience I know that they are helpful to people in times of...

Paul Marotta

Paul Marotta

Paul Marotta, chairman of the board, is the “ultimate volunteer,” said Hanscom Federal Credit Union President and CEO David Sprauge. “I can’t imagine there’s another director or chairman of the board that has the passion, energy and commitment to credit unions that...

Donna McCullen

Donna McCullen

By living out its motto of “Doing what’s right,” the 101-year-old Workers’ Credit Union has become a kind of hero to the central Massachusetts area it serves. Fortunately for the people of Lancaster and its surrounding towns, Donna McCullen, branch manager of the...

Diana Moreno

Diana Moreno

Diana Moreno’s 23-year career began on the banking side. After years of mergers and acquisitions, she began to want some stability, for herself and for the customers she served. Seven years ago a recruiter called her about a post at Metro Credit Union, and she’s been...

Hicham Naciri

Hicham Naciri

Hicham Naciri is not your average IT employee. He’s held various roles ranging from Y2K and credit union consultant to human resources to his current role as chief technology officer at Tremont Credit Union. But what stands out about Naciri is his positive attitude...

Michael Ostrowski

Michael Ostrowski

Michael Ostrowski, CEO of Springfield-based Arrha Credit Union, found his way to the financial industry in the most unlikely of ways – by pumping gas on the Massachusetts Turnpike. He’d recently graduated from Springfield College and was working at a gas station while...

Michael Ostrowski

Michael Ostrowski

Michael Ostrowski, CEO of Springfield-based Arrha Credit Union, found his way to the financial industry in the most unlikely of ways – by pumping gas on the Massachusetts Turnpike. He’d recently graduated from Springfield College and was working at a gas station while...

Donna McCullen

Donna McCullen

By living out its motto of “Doing what’s right,” the 101-year-old Workers’ Credit Union has become a kind of hero to the central Massachusetts area it serves. Fortunately for the people of Lancaster and its surrounding towns, Donna McCullen, branch manager of the...

Jodi Rathbun-Briggs

Jodi Rathbun-Briggs

Marilyn Sperling, CEO of Greylock Federal Credit Union, was looking for someone with experience in risk management when she hired Jodi Rathbun-Briggs, but she quickly found out Rathbun-Briggs is a whole lot more than that. “She is very well-spoken, eloquent, bright,...

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