Redwood Credit Union elects board and supervisory committee

Redwood Credit Union (RCU) recently re-elected to its board of directors three volunteer officials for three-year terms from 2019-2022: incumbents Rod Dole, Lisa Wittke Schaffner, and associate board member Judy Herrerias-James. To RCU’s supervisory committee, two incumbents were elected for a three-year term: Martin Grove and Steve Sharpe.

RCU’s board of directors sets the credit union’s strategic direction and policies, and the supervisory committee oversees the audit function for the credit union. Because credit unions are not-for-profit cooperatives, RCU’s board and supervisory committee are comprised of RCU members who serve voluntarily and are elected by the membership.

Rod Dole is the retired auditor/controller/treasurer/tax collector for Sonoma County. He formerly served as co-chair for Ygrene, trustee for CALTrust, and on the president’s advisory board at Sonoma State University. Dole has served as a volunteer official for Redwood Credit Union since 1978.

Lisa Wittke Schaffner is executive director of the John Jordan Foundation, a nonprofit that supports disadvantaged youth. She’s also a board member for the Sonoma County Grape Growers Foundation, the Family Justice Center, Social Advocates for Youth, the Sonoma County Office of Education, the Sonoma County Fair, CTE Foundation Sonoma County, and United Way of the Wine Country. Wittke Schaffner has degrees in government and journalism from California State University at Sacramento. She has been an RCU volunteer official since 2012.

Judy Herrerias-James has been serving as an associate board member with RCU since 2013, attending all board meetings, but not as a voting member of the board until now. She is the public affairs director for Kaiser Permanente’s Marin-Sonoma region. Herrerias-James graduated from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science degree.

Martin Grove has been a volunteer official with RCU since 2003 and is retired from the California State Compensation Insurance Fund. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Sonoma State University. Grove has served on the Board of Directors for the Sonoma County Volunteer Center, as well as Blood Bank of the Redwoods.

Steve Sharpe has served on RCU’s supervisory committee since 1992. He is owner of Sharpe Associates, a land use and planning consulting business in Santa Rosa. Previously, Sharpe worked as an administrative analyst in the Sonoma County Administrator’s Office and was executive officer of the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO). He has a bachelor’s degree from UC Davis. Sharpe is also a member of the Bennett Valley Union School District.

The credit union’s officials have also named their officers for the year as follows:

Lisa Wittke Schaffner as board chair
Debra Watts as board vice chair
Rod Dole as board secretary
Greg McGuirk as board treasurer
M. Christina Rivera as supervisory committee chair
Steve Sharpe as supervisory committee vice chair
Martin Grove as supervisory committee secretary

Dave Imoto, RCU volunteer board member since 1989, retired from RCU’s board this year. He will continue as an emeritus to the board, providing guidance during the transition and into the future.