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CUNA Lending Council appoints GTE Financial’s chief lending officer, Dona Svehla to Executive Committee

MADISON, WI (February 1, 2017) — GTE Financial’s chief lending officer, Dona Svehla, has been appointed to the CUNA Lending Council’s Executive Committee by the committee’s chair, Bob Stowell.

“We are thrilled that Dona has been appointed to the CUNA Lending Council’s executive committee. She is a strong leader and seasoned lending executive who will serve as an incredible asset to the organization,” said Brian Best, president and CEO of GTE Financial.

Svehla has more than 20 years of experience in lending, loss prevention, and collections. She began her career in 1995 with Alliant Credit Union in Chicago where she established the financial institution’s fraud department and designed and implemented enhancements to its collection platform.

In 2007, Svehla brought her expertise and leadership skills to Grow Financial, where she held the position of senior vice president of Retail, Lending and Loss Prevention, which won her the Credit Union Times Trailblazer Award – Lending Officer of the Year in 2013. Svehla started her career at GTE Financial as vice president Fraud/ BSA and Member Resolution, and in May 2016, she became the credit union’s chief lending officer. She has developed and implemented tools to reduce fraud losses while balancing the member experience and strengthening her team’s productivity.

Svehla earned her bachelor’s in social behavioral sciences from National Louis University in Chicago. She also received her master’s BA from Saint Leo University in St. Leo, Florida. Svehla is a credit union activist and sits on several boards, such as serving on the Equifax Credit Union Advisory Board.

About CUNA Councils

Councils is a member-led, collaborative community of credit union leaders providing vibrant peer interaction, new ideas and innovation to foster professional development for executives while advocating for the overall success of the credit union movement. There are eight Councils with a network of more than 8,500 credit union professionals. For more information, visit cunacouncils.org.