Press

John Janclaes and Eileen Rivera joining Western CUNA Management School board

ONTARIO, CA (September 17, 2015) — Partners Federal Credit Union President and CEO John Janclaes and SkyOne Federal Credit Union President and CEO Eileen Rivera will be joining the Western CUNA Management School (WCMS) Board of Trustees.

They will replace outgoing board members—Orange County’s Credit Union President and CEO Shruti Miyashiro and Redwood Credit Union President and CEO Brett Martinez—whose terms are up in December. The terms for Janclaes and Rivera begin January 2016.

Comprised of nine credit union CEOs, two League presidents, the WCMS president, and WCMS provost—the board is responsible for oversight and direction of the school.

“I am honored to have such a strategic leader—and my former WCMS classmate—John Janclaes join our Board of Trustees,” said Gene Pelham, WCMS board chairman and president and CEO of Rogue Credit Union in Oregon. “In addition, WCMS is fortunate to have Eileen Rivera, an engaged and respected credit union movement leader, accept our invitation to serve on our Board.”

“We are privileged to have exceptional credit union leaders like John and Eileen join the WCMS board,” said WCMS Dean Michael Steinberger. “It is a hallmark of WCMS that we have some of the most influential people within the credit union movement continually working to support and enhance the effectiveness of the school.”

Janclaes has more than 25 years of financial services experience, spanning retail banking, brokerage and insurance. Before joining Partners FCU, he was an executive at Logix FCU (formerly Lockheed FCU) for 14 years where he contributed in various executive roles. He is an advocate for the credit union movement—called on regularly to speak at industry events as well as acting in an advisory capacity to the National Association of Federal Credit Unions, Credit Union National Association, and Filene Research Institute. He is a recipient of the James D. Likens Alumni award.

Janclaes earned a Bachelors’ in Business Administration from the University of Redlands and Masters in Business Management from the Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate University where he now serves on the Board of Advisors. He also maintains six securities and insurance designations.

Rivera has worked at SkyOne FCU for 28 years, including 23 years as president and CEO. She worked at Xerox FCU (now Xceed Financial) for seven years, starting as a teller. She is on the Board of Directors for the California Credit Union League, serving as chairman in 2011. She is currently on the Board of Directors of the RMJ Foundation and chairman of the Credit Unions for Kids Advisory Board for the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. She is a member of the Filene Research Council, CUNA Awards Committee, Southern California Credit Union Alliance (SCCUA) Steering Committee.

Rivera graduated from the CUES Advanced Leadership Institute held at Harvard University, and is also a graduate of California League’s CEO Institute held at Stanford University. She holds a bachelor’s of business administration from Loyola Marymount University and an MBA from Pepperdine University.

The other trustees are vice chairman Brad Harvey, president and CEO of Horizons North CU in Northglenn, CO; treasurer Teresa Freeborn, president and CEO of Xceed Financial CU in El Segundo, CA; Carla Altepeter, president and CEO of Numerica Credit Union in Spokane Valley, WA; Bill Cheney, President and CEO of SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union in Santa Ana, CA; Diana Dykstra, president and CEO of the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues; Scott Earl, president and CEO of the Mountain West Credit Union Association; Sterling Nielsen, president and CEO of Mountain America CU in West Jordan, UT; and Darren Williams, president and CEO of Wescom CU in Pasadena, CA.

Emeritus Professor of Economics at Pomona College and WCMS President James D. Likens and California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues Vice President of Education and Training and WCMS Provost Mark Klinkert also serve on the board.

About Western CUNA Management School

For more than 60 years, Western CUNA Management School has helped credit union management staff meet the challenges of the future. WCMS is the West Coast-based leadership and philosohical institution for current and future credit union leaders, preparing individuals with the depth and breadth they need to contribute to their credit union’s success, the credit union movement, and their own personal career goals.