Board Chair: Kara Van Wert
Kara joined Veridian Credit Union in 1991, with headquarters in Waterloo, IA. Having held various lending and branch management positions during this time, Kara is currently the Vice President of Lending. Her areas of responsibility are Mortgage Lending, Consumer Direct & Indirect Lending, as well as Account Resolution/Collections. Kara received her B.S in Business Management from Upper Iowa University.
Board Member: Fred Campobasso
Fred is the Chief Lending Officer at Great Lakes Credit Union in Northern Illinois, where he oversees commercial, consumer, and mortgage lending, along with marketing and community development efforts. With a career spanning over two decades, Fred has honed his expertise in banking and credit unions, holding leadership positions in various institutions. He began his career in banking, gaining experience in consumer, indirect, mortgage, and small business lending, before transitioning to the credit union industry. In addition to his professional roles, Fred is deeply committed to community service, volunteering his time for local non-profit boards and initiatives, including food drives, veterans services, and financial literacy programs.
Fred holds a BA in Sociology from Eastern Illinois University and a Masters’ Certificate in Strategy and Execution from The Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. He is dedicated to promoting financial empowerment and advocates for providing fair and reasonable credit options to low-and-moderate income households. Fred’s passion lies in building generational wealth through responsible lending practices, emphasizing the importance of financial literacy and access to credit for underserved communities.
Treasurer: Dan Czerniawski
Daniel Czerniawski is Chief Executive Officer at Actors Federal Credit Union, headquartered in New York, NY. Prior to joining the credit union, Mr. Czerniawski held positions at Atlantic Federal Credit Union, Garden State Federal Credit Union, North Jersey Federal Credit Union, TD Bank and Capital One.
He is a graduate of the University of Scranton and is currently pursuing his MBA at New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Secretary: Margie Click
Margie Click is Chief Executive Officer at AgFed Credit Union headquartered in Washington, D.C. She has been the CEO at AgFed for more than 20 years. Margie’s prior experience included many years executive leadership positions in information services, lending and operations for larger financial services entities.
Board Member: Allan Stevens
Allan Stevens is the chief credit officer for Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union. He is the senior lender at Franklin Mint FCU, having thirty years tenure. He has held management positions with a savings bank and a consumer finance company. In his position at Franklin Mint FCU Allan is responsible for credit administration and management and oversees loan originations, processing, and underwriting for consumer, commercial and mortgage loans. He has been responsible for implementing lending automation and organizational use of credit scoring for underwriting, pricing and account management activities.
Allan has a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Shippensburg University. He has served as a member of the Elan Financial Services, Experian, and LendKey credit union advisory boards. He has also served on the executive committee of the CUNA Lending Council and the board of Clarifi, a respected regional credit counseling agency. He is a speaker on topics such as home equity lending, risk-based lending, lending automation, and lending processes and has been a regular guest on CN8’s Money Matters Today and NBC10’s Consumer Alerts television shows.
Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union has over $1 billion in assets serving over 110,000 members and 4,000 partner organizations and is located near Philadelphia, PA.
Allan resides in Collegeville with his wife and canines. In his spare time, he can be seen bonding with his wife and their three adult daughters and on local soccer fields, admiring the beautiful game.
Board Member: Mick Olson
Mick Olson is the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of TopLine Financial Credit Union, headquartered in Maple Grove, Minnesota. TopLine is Minnesota’s 11th largest credit union, with assets of more than $775 million and serves over 50,000 members.
Mick has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, and has held various accounting and finance positions in other industries including healthcare and distribution. He is passionate about leadership, strategic planning and technology.
In 2006 he joined TopLine Financial Credit Union as the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and held that position prior to being named President and CEO in May 2023. During Mick’s tenure with TopLine he has been responsible for overseeing finance, accounting, information services, card services, the insurance agency, investment services, human resources, collections, strategic and risk planning, and budgeting.
He earned his B.S. in Accounting from St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minnesota and his M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Business in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Olson and his wife reside in Ramsey, Minnesota. In his spare time, Mick enjoys family time with his wife, their three children and two grandchildren, weekends at the cabin, fishing and hunting.
Board Member: Julie Kreinbring
Julie Kreinbring is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Zeal Credit Union. Zeal serves more than 66,000 members and currently holds approximately $850M in assets. Prior to being appointed CEO in July of 2019, Julie held the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Zeal.
Julie has been in the financial service industry for nearly 25 years and is recognized for her strategic vision and unwavering commitment to credit unions, her team members and credit union members alike. Holding a master’s degree in MIS from Central Michigan University and a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Davenport University, Julie has completed an array of accredited leadership and planning certifications from some of the top corporate education programs in the country. She is a graduate of the CEO Institute and a CUES Innovation Expert. Her passion includes leadership, coaching, strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, fintech, technology, and team building.
With a strong business development acumen, Julie has connected many professionals in the financial services industry and has a keen eye for discovering and developing top talent. In addition to her vast experience in the financial services industry, she has served as an adjunct professor and instructor at Davenport University in Auditing and Accounting, and has been featured in industry publications including CU Times, Crain’s Detroit, and Newcleus. She is currently on the board of NISCUE (trustee), Member Student Lending (formerly Chair of board), MCUL/CUSG, Downriver Chapter and Metro West Chapter of CUs, she has also held board positions at SVdeP, University of Detroit Mercy Advisory board and CU Wallet. Julie Kreinbring currently resides in the Metro Detroit Area.