press releases

St. Joseph, Michigan – United Federal Credit Union (United) in St. Joseph, Michigan announced the promotion of five current employees to key leadership roles in 2022. The appointments include new and expanded roles within the organization with an emphasis on human resources, member service, and operations.

Kimetha Firpo
Chief Human Resources Officer

Kimetha Firpo has been promoted to the position of Chief Human Resources Officer. In her new role, Firpo will continue to provide operational and strategic leadership to the human resources team in the areas of compensation and benefit programs, payroll operations, recruiting, employee relations, performance management, data management, and training and development.

Since joining United in 2019 as Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Firpo has overseen and helped implement positive cultural and employee benefit projects including supporting employees and the business during the pandemic, jump-starting the credit union’s flexible work program, creating the strategic plan for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program and council, and developing a Total Rewards benefits program that meets the needs of United’s diverse workforce and aligns with company culture and strategic initiatives.

Brittany Grasley
Vice President of Remote Services

Brittany Grasley has been appointed to the position of Vice President of Remote Services. In her new role, Grasley will provide strategic and operational leadership for remote service channels including digital banking, payment solutions, and the Member Service Center. In addition, she will be responsible for key success measures including member satisfaction for remote services, remote services channel adoption and usage, and operational efficiency in the delivery of remote banking services.

Grasley joined United in 2009, beginning as a Member Service Advisor at the Benton Harbor, Michigan branch. Since that time, she has been promoted to serval member-centric roles including assistant branch manager and branch manager at the St. Joseph, Michigan branch from 2010-2014. In 2014 and 2015, Grasley was appointed to vice president roles focusing on member experience and sales and service. She was named Vice President of Operations in January 2017.

Laura Mock
Vice President of Solutions Delivery

Laura Mock has been appointed to the position of Vice President of Solutions Delivery. In her new role, Mock will oversee the Project Management Office, Enterprise Solutions, and Software Engineering teams and provide leadership for the delivery of new technology and optimization of business processes throughout the credit union.

She will also collaborate with leaders throughout United to identify, design, and implement new services for digital channels, branches, and departments, as well as lead Continuous Improvement initiatives through effective evaluation, scoping and estimating, and implementation.

Mock brings more than 16 years’ experience in project management to the role and was most recently United’s director of Enterprise Project & Process Management, and manager of the Project Management Office.

Dawn Lara
Director of Treasury Management Operations

Dawn Lara has been appointed to the position of Director of Treasury Management Operations. In her new role, Lara will be involved with the set up and management of business online banking and related services for our members. She will coordinate with the Director of Treasury Management to create effective and efficient systems and workflows, with the team primarily focusing on supporting the credit union’s goals for Business Online Banking, Business Remote Deposit, Business Mobile Deposit, ACH, and Business Credit Cards.

Lara brings more than 30 years of banking experience to the role, having served in a variety of leadership positions during that time. Most recently she was the credit union’s Director of Field Operations. Prior to United’s 2021 merger with Edgewater Bank, she held the title of Chief Operating Officer / SVP of Operations and IT. Her expertise focused on highlighting operational enhancements within the bank to allow it to continue to excel at meeting customers’ needs.

Maria Kibler
Director of Treasury Management

Maria Kibler has been appointed to the position of Director of Treasury Management. In her new role, Kibler will lead her team to reach growth and sales goals for Treasury Management and Commercial Lending products and services while also providing sales and technical support to employees and Members.

She will collaborate with the Finance and Business Analytics departments to track product activity and expenses, monitor product growth trends and performance, and coordinate with the Director of Treasury Management Operations to create effective and efficient systems and workflows. Kibler’s team will primarily focus on supporting credit union goals for Business Online Banking, Business Remote Deposit, Business Mobile Deposit, ACH, Business Credit Cards, Merchant Services, Business deposit accounts, and the development and management of Public Funds relationships.

During her 30-year career in the financial services industry, including eight years at Edgewater Bank, Kibler has served as Senior Vice President and was instrumental in establishing cultures of growing positive, dependable relationships with the public, media, and customers.

“Kimetha, Brittany, Laura, Dawn, and Maria truly represent what Team United is all about,” said President/CEO Terry O’Rourke. “They are inspiring leaders who are committed to enhancing Members’ lives through compassion and continuous improvement, and they build and retain talented, diverse, and inclusive teams. United Federal Credit Union will continue to grow and advance for many years because we have a solid leadership foundation in place.”