Valley First Credit Union fills two key positions
MODESTO, CALIF. (August 9, 2023) — Valley First Credit Union filled two key positions hiring a new director of compliance and director of marketing.
Charles Ciapponi joined Valley First as director of compliance with nearly 20 years of credit union experience including the Educational Employees Credit Union (EECU) in Fresno and Pacific Service Credit Union in Concord, Calif. Ciapponi began his career in financial services as a customer service rep in the Fresno Call Center of a large national bank.
“I had been a credit union member since I was a kid because my grandmother worked at EECU,” said Ciapponi. “Working at a large bank, I saw firsthand how differently they treated customers of the bank versus how I was treated as a member of the credit union. So, I decided to leave the bank and join the credit union movement.”
Ciapponi worked his way up through lending, operations, and compliance in 16 years with EECU, where he was a compliance supervisor when he left to join Pacific Service in 2020. As a compliance manager at Pacific Service, Ciapponi ran the Bank Secrecy Act, vendor management and fraud prevention programs.
Ciapponi graduated from the Western CUNA Management School (WCMS) in July. The three-year program prepares credit union professionals to keep pace with the rapidly changing business environment with courses in strategic planning, operations, lending, finance, marketing, human resources, economics, business law, communications, and leadership.
“Charles brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this critical role at Valley First,” says President and CEO Kathryn J. Davis, CCE. “He will play a key role as we continue to grow and implement best practices in managing compliance risk on behalf of our members.”
The new director of marketing is Lindsay Sansen. Sansen brings more than 16 years of experience in the financial services industry, spending the past 8-1/2 years with Patelco Credit Union in a variety of marketing roles including product, community, brand and channel marketing. Prior to joining the credit union movement, Sansen held marketing positions with Safeway and Blackhawk Network, Inc,. in Pleasanton, Calif.
At Valley First, Sansen will lead all marketing efforts including research/development, brand management, creative development, direct marketing, advertising, product launch, website, digital marketing, social media, event planning, and project and program management.
“I look forward to spreading the word about the wonderful benefits of membership at Valley First Credit Union,” said Sansen. “My job is to make sure people living in the 12 counties we serve in the valley are aware that Valley First is more than a financial institution and prioritize our members well-being above all else. We’re built on the principle of ‘people helping people’ and offer an alternative path to achieving financial wellness.”
According to the Credit Union National Association, credit unions historically pay higher dividends on deposits, charge lower rates for loans, and have fewer and lower fees for transactions than banks.
“Filling these two key roles puts Valley First in a strong position to continue growing and making good happen for our members, employees and community,” said Davis.
About Valley First Credit Union
Valley First Credit Union is a $1.02 billion, member-owned, not-for-profit financial cooperative providing quality financial services to 80,000 members in the growing and diverse communities of Calaveras, Fresno, Kings, Kern, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Sacramento, Tulare, and Tuolumne Counties. With eight branches throughout the central valley, the credit union is committed to banking with a purpose – to better the financial lives of the people and businesses in the communities we call home. For more information, please visit www.valleyfirstcu.org/.
