The Board

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 Chief Lending Officer. Her areas of responsibility are Commercial Lending, Mortgage Lending, Consumer Direct & Indirect Lending, Veridian Insurance, as well as Account Resolution/Collections. Kara received her B.S in Business Management from Upper Iowa University.

 


Vice Chair: Julie Kreinbring

Julie Kreinbring is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Zeal Credit Union. Zeal serves more than 67,000 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 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 TimesCrain’s Detroit, and Newcleus. She is currently on the board of Mortgage Center, NASCUS, NISCUE (trustee), Member Student Lending, CUSG, 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.


Secretary: Vice Chair: 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.

 


 

Treasurer: Dan Czerniawski

Daniel Czerniawski serves as the President and CEO of Insights FINP. Prior to this he led Actors Federal Credit Union as their Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Czerniawski’s career has spanned over two and a half decades in the non profit, small business and financial service sector.  At Atlantic Federal Credit Union he served as both the Chief Operating Officer as well as the Chief Lending Officer. Prior to that role Mr. Czerniawski held leadership roles in financial servicest spanning lending, banking operations and business development at Indus American Bank, North Jersey Federal Credit Union, Garden State Federal Credit Union,TD Bank and Capital One.

Mr. Czerniawski is also active in various non for profits as he serves on the board of the Poland Lacrosse Foundation, La Casa Don Pedro and La Casa Don Pedro.

He is a graduate of the University of Scranton and holds a MBA from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.


Board Member: Allan Stevens

Allan Stevens is the chief credit officer, emeritus, for Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union. He was the senior lender at FMFCU, having over thirty years tenure. He has held management positions with a savings bank and a consumer finance company. In his position at FMFCU Allan was responsible for credit administration and management and oversaw 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 regional credit counseling agency. He is a speaker on topics such as home equity lending, risk-based lending, lending automation, and lending processes. 

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: 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.


Board Member: Jason Reed

Jason Reed is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Healthcare Employees Federal Credit Union.  He has over three decades of credit union experience and dedication, overseeing consumer, commercial, and real estate lending, collections, operations, marketing, business development, HR, IT, and retail services.  Jason began his career in the credit union industry as a teller and continued his career transitioning to, and learning most credit union roles.  Prior to joining Healthcare Employees Federal Credit Union, he most recently served as Chief Operations Officer (COO), Senior Vice President with a local CUSO, and 1st Vice President.

Jason earned his B.S. Degree in Business, Management, and Economics from State University of New York.  He is an active member of the LendKey and local Credit Union Executives Society (CUES) boards, and he is a regular volunteer for several local charities and organizations.  He has embarked on a transformation in his new role to create positive changes to policies and culture in order to better serve the entire membership.  Jason is committed to the credit union industry, is an advocate for financial inclusion, promoting financial well-being, and providing an excellent member journey through all channels.

Jason and his family reside in New Providence, New Jersey where he enjoys cheering for his daughter in several sports, Marching Band competitions, and musical and creative writing pursuits.

responsible lending practices, emphasizing the importance of financial literacy and access to credit for underserved communities.


Board Member: Domenick Vitale

Domenick Vitale is the Chief Credit Officer at Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union, where he is responsible for consumer, commercial and mortgage lending functions. In addition, he has responsibility for loan operations including loan servicing and collections. Domenick joined FMFCU in May 2023 as the Director of Consumer Lending prior to taking the role of CCO.

While new to the Credit Union space, he has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry having previously held senior management positions at Bank of America and Fulton Bank. With a career spanning over two decades, Domenick’s expertise also includes risk management, data & analytics, Loan Review (second line of defense functions), compliance and call center operations.

Domenick resides in Kennett Square, PA with his wife and two children. He is a graduate of Rutgers University where he earned a dual B.A. in Criminal Justice and Sociology. In his spare time, he is an avid golfer and loves traveling to the Jersey shore with his family.