SAFE Board service:
1st Vice Chair from 2023-2024. Treasurer from 2018-2023. Also served as Director.

Professional and executive experience:
Regional Managing Partner with Arthur Anderson LLP (retired); independent Certified Public Accountant. Adjunct instructor at Sierra College and principal of a real estate consulting practice. Served on the faculty of CSU San Francisco, CSU Sacramento, UC Davis School of Management, and Sierra College.

Other board service:
Former Board Member and Treasurer of United Way California Capital Region; founding Board Member and Treasurer of Eureka Schools Foundation; former Board Member and Treasurer of the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Education:
B.S. in Accounting from Southern Illinois University.

Community involvement:
Blue and Gold Officer for the United States Naval Academy Admissions Group.

SAFE Board experience:
Director since 2020

Professional and executive experience:
Human Resources Director, Intel. Manager and Senior Consultant for Accenture. Member of Intel’s Black Leadership Council and its Black Network of Executive Women.

Other board service:
Board Vice Chair for an education nonprofit and chair of the Strategic Planning Committee.

Education:
Bachelor’s in Economics/Business from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), graduating Phi Beta Kappa with Honors. Master’s in Business with concentrations in Finance & Management from Johns Hopkins University.

SAFE Board service:
Director since 2021

Professional and executive experience:
CEO of CivicWell, a nonprofit supporting leaders responding to the climate crisis. Former Executive Director of the Center for Regional Change at the University of California, Davis, serving as a lead on multidisciplinary research projects, including developing tools to support affordable housing, understanding megaregion migration, supporting transportation equity, and advancing carbon neutrality. Member of the Faculty Executive Committee for the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Founder of Bernadette Austin Consulting Services. Held leadership positions at Domus Development, Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, California Capital, Breast Cancer Network of Strength, formerly Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization, and New Connections. Her projects include Sacramento’s first true transit-oriented development, West Sacramento’s first urban farm stand, and the first project in the country to implement a program combining housing vouchers and health services for disabled adults. Bernadette has been recognized as a notable woman leader by Sacramento Magazine and Comstock’s Magazine, and the Sacramento Business Journal include her on their list of 40 Under 40. 

Other board service:
Board member for Girl Scouts Heart of Central California, Alchemist Community Development Corporation, and Sacramento ENRICHES. She also served as President of the Sacramento Valley Chapter of the California Coalition for Parent Participation Nursery Schools.

Education:
Master of Science in Community Development from U.C. Davis and a Bachelor of Science in Community Health from St. Mary’s College of California.

Community involvement:
Bernadette has served in leadership roles for a variety of professional organizations in land use and real estate development, including the Urban Land Institute, Lambda Alpha International, American Planning Association, and California Planning Roundtable. Bernadette serves as co-leader for the Sacramento Area Chapter of the Scholars Strategy Network.  Bernadette was an appointed official for the City of West Sacramento for 13 years, including seven years on the Parks and Community Services Commission and six years on the Planning Commission. Volunteers with Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, Amigos de las Americas, and Wonder, a mentorship program of Stanford Sierra Youth and Families.

SAFE Board service:
Treasurer and 1^st Assistant Secretary since 2023. Also served as Director.

Professional and executive experience:
Former Chief Financial Officer of Foster Poultry Farms LLC. Former Chief Financial Officer of VSP Global. Former SVP and CFO of Raley’s grocery stores. Former Senior Executive and Chief Financial Officer of IKEA North America.

Other board service:
Member of Crystal Creamery-Foster Farms’ Dairy Board of Directors. Former representative of the VSP Global Board of Directors, Finance, Retirement, Public Policy, and Audit committees. Former board member of IKEA North America.

Education:
Bachelor’s degree from Marist College and an MBA from Pace University in New York City.

Community involvement:
Former board member of Make-A-Wish Foundation Sacramento and Northern California, and former guest lecturer at CSU Sacramento. 

SAFE Board service:
Director since 2022. Served as Associate Director in 2021.

Professional and executive experience:
CEO of MDstaffers, a national healthcare staffing firm specializing in physician, advanced practitioner, and mental health staffing for on-site and virtual care on temporary and permanent bases. Previously served as Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Service Delivery for MDstaffers, leading financial strategy, operations, growth, technology, planning, and delivery.

Other board service:
Board Trustee for an emergency communications nonprofit

Education:
American Military University

Community involvement:
U.S. Army veteran

SAFE Board service::
1^st Vice Chairperson from 2018-2023. Also served as 2^nd Vice Chairperson and Director Pro Tem.

Professional and executive experience:
Director of Business Operations for DST Output LLC (Cable Data USCS. Inc.) (retired)

Other board service:
Former Chairperson of the Board for American River HealthPro Credit Union (2001-2003 and 2006-2009; Board Member of El Dorado Business Park.

Education:
Attended Advanced Management College and Finance Course at Stanford University; Six Sigma Champion.

Community involvement:
Board member of Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

SAFE Board service:
2^nd Vice Chairperson since 2020. Member of the Audit Committee since 2018 and Chairperson of the Audit Committee since 2020. Also served as Director Pro Tem.

Professional and executive experience:
Chief Financial Officer for mechanical engineering and construction firm Frank M. Booth Inc. He also has extensive experience in financial management and strategic planning for HD Supply in Roseville, General Electric, and Ernst & Young in Philadelphia.

Other board service:
Board member for Frank M. Booth Inc. and Granite Bay Rotary Club.

Education:
CPA and CGMA designations

Community involvement:
Serves as director of football and volunteer coach for Granite Bay Jr. Grizzlies Organization.

SAFE Board experience:
Director since 2021

Professional and executive experience:
Currently Senior Vice President – Area Manager and Hospital Administrator for Kaiser Permanente in South Sacramento and Elk Grove. Former Chief Operating Officer of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan, Northern California Region. Former Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Officer Kaiser Foundation Hospitals Hawaii Region.

Other board service:
Past chairperson for the American Heart Association and the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.

Education:
Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Hawaii; bachelor’s degree in Nursing from the University of Lethbridge, in Alberta, Canada. She also attended the Executive Leadership Program at the Harvard Business School. 

Community involvement:
Currently serves on the executive committee of Valley Vision and is a board member for The Crocker Art Museum. 

SAFE Board service:
Chairperson from 2017 -2024. Also served as 2nd Vice Chairperson and Director.

Professional and executive experience:
Vice President of Corporate Services for Raley’s (retired).

Other board service:
Former board member of Northern California Grocers Credit Union (1983-1985); the Regional Advisory Council for ByDesign; and IMCO General Construction.

Education:
Bachelor's degree from California State University, Sacramento; graduate of the USC executive food management class.

Community involvement:
Habitat for Humanity and Building Together.  Outstanding Volunteer Award in 2020 from the California Credit Union League. 

SAFE Board experience:
Associate Director since 2022.

Professional and executive experience: Executive Director for the Sierra College Foundation since 2004. Former principal consultant in information technology services.

Other board service: Board member for the Statewide Network for California Community College Foundations (NCCCF); board chair of the Professional Development Committee for the NCCCF. Past member of several boards including KVIE Public TV, Stand Up Placer, American Leadership Forum Capital Region, and the Wells Fargo Community Advisory group.

Education: Computer Sciences Engineering degree from California State University, San Jose.

Community Involvement: Involved in fundraising activities for numerous organizations since 1989, including American Cancer Society, KVIE Public TV, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, American Heart Association, River Oak Center for Children, and several private schools in Sacramento and Placer County. 

SAFE Board experience:
Associate Director since 2022.

Professional and executive experience: Partner and Co-Founder of Brewer Lofgren LLP. Formerly Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce; City of Folsom City Manager; City of Folsom City Attorney; and attorney at Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe and Gray Carey Ames & Frye.

Other board service: Currently on Comstock’s Magazine, Advisory Board; Folsom Tourism and Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors; and Royal Electric Company Board of Directors. Former chair and board member for Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce; Valley Vision; and Folsom Lake College Foundation. Former board member of American Heart Association, Sacramento Chapter Board of Directors; Sacramento Host Committee; American Leadership Forum; and Powerhouse Ministries (nonprofit organization serving low-income residents and the homeless in Folsom).

Education:  BA in sociology from Wellesley College; and Juris Doctor, Law, from University of California, Davis.  Graduate Certificate in Leadership Program in Health and Well Being, Duke University.

Community Involvement: Senior Fellow of the Mountain Valley Chapter of the American Leadership Forum and serves in leadership capacities with informal groups supporting leadership and career advancement for women at all stages of their professional careers.

Faye was promoted to President of SAFE Credit Union on January 1, 2022, and took on the combined role of President/CEO in January 2023. In her previous role as Chief Credit Officer, Faye provided organizational leadership, strategic vision, and lending expertise as a key member of SAFE’s Executive Management Team. Faye is also the strategic leader and executive sponsor of SAFE’s core system conversion to Fiserv DNA, completed in April 2022. 

Prior to joining SAFE, Faye worked for KeyPoint Credit Union in Santa Clara, California, for 22 years in a variety of credit operations and management positions, including most recently as their Chief Lending Officer.

Faye has served as a member of various boards of directors, including MBL LLC (now CUBG), as Member Engagement and CLO Forum Committee Member for the CUNA Lending Council, and as a board member of the Folsom Tourism and Economic Development Corporation (2016-2018). She earned a degree in Leadership and Organizational Development from Saint Mary’s College of California.

As EVP, Chief Financial Officer, Alexis is responsible for all facets of SAFE’s Finance Department, including financial planning and analysis, accounting, and treasury. She serves as a key member of the Senior Executive Team, providing insight and guidance into SAFE’s financial condition and performance, as well as participating in the organization’s strategic and business planning activities.

Prior to coming to SAFE, Alexis was in public accounting for 13 years. She uses financial analysis to help the organization make forward-looking and strategic decisions. She helps facilitate the best financial decisions for SAFE by having a clear view of the credit union’s financial health by reviewing and managing the balance sheet and developing strategies to grow revenue and maximize return on capital.

She is involved in the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and American River Parkway Foundation, sitting on the Board Finance Committee. She also sits on the board for the Folsom Chamber of Commerce.

Chris Harris is the Executive Vice President/Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) for SAFE Credit Union.  He was initially hired as Controller and served as Chief Financial Officer. He is a key part of SAFE’s Senior Executive Team, and is responsible for all enterprise strategy and planning, enterprise business intelligence and data management, enterprise risk management, and facilities management. Such responsibilities include strategic planning, business planning, strategic growth initiatives, and data governance. Chris works closely with senior management and the Board of Directors to develop the business plan and corporate goals for the organization. He evaluates, recommends, and leads strategic and enterprise-wide projects.

Chris is a CPA with 27 years of corporate finance and audit experience, with 22 of those years in the financial services industry.  Chris is a Sacramento Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 award recipient. He is also a director for the Credit Union Self Insurance Group of California.  Prior to SAFE, he worked for Wachovia Bank’s (now Wells Fargo) Finance group supporting the small-business and commercial lending division within the organization. Chris has a bachelor’s degree in Accountancy from California State University, Sacramento.

EVP Chief Experience Officer Jerrod Keller focuses on continuously improving the member experience through multi-channel strategies that incorporate the Member Services and Operations team; Branch and Contact Center; and the Marketing, Communications and Community Relations teams. His overarching leadership allows SAFE to better explore and implement smart solutions to help our members build financial freedom more efficiently and effectively.

Jerrod has deep credit union experience in member service and leadership. Before coming to SAFE in July 2023, he served as COO of TwinStar Credit Union in Olympia Washington, where he led a team of more than 200 employees responsible for member experience, contact center, retail and digital banking, operations, and marketing. He brings a depth of experience in sales and member service leadership.

He is committed to developing his teams through being articulate, relatable, and through a coaching-centric approach.

Jerrod is a strong proponent of community engagement and has served on economic development and education boards.

Mike McCarthy leads the development and execution of SAFE’s technology strategy and digital transformation to improve the member experience, ensure the security of data and systems, and increase enterprise efficiency. Leveraging expertise in IT governance, ATM services, network and systems engineering, information security, data center operations, disaster recovery, and vendor management, Mike creates business advantages and cost optimizations that help SAFE achieve its mission and strategic objectives. As a member of the Executive Team, he provides thought leadership to help drive organizational decisions to support SAFE’s growing membership, positive company culture, and effective business operations. In addition, Mike sits on SAFE’s Technical Integration Review Board, and is a key advisor to the Board, CEO and Executive Team.

In the community, Mike is member of the CUNA Payments Subcommittee, Greater Sacramento Economic Council (GSEC) – Fintech Consortium, and Sacramento Veterans Employee Resource Group (VERG) Board of Directors.

Having honorably served in the U.S. Army and National Guard, Mike brings the experience he gained there in network engineering, information security, and intelligence analysis to his current work in information technology at SAFE. He holds a degree from Kaplan University in Information Security and Forensics and several industry recognized technology certifications.

With 18 years of experience in human resources, Colleen has a strong belief and dedication to the development of people and service excellence. She enjoys fostering a positive and engaging work environment for employees by promoting skill development, coaching for improvement and growth, and enhancing positive employee morale through building an exceptional culture. Prior to SAFE, she held roles such as lead human resources with Gap and Senior Vice President, HR Director with Mechanics Bank.  

Colleen is a volunteer board member for Keaton’s Child Cancer Alliance (KCCA) and is president-elect/volunteer board member for the Sacramento Area HR Association (SAHRA). 

Colleen is an accredited Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration/Human Resources Management - Sacramento State University, and a Master of Science Degree in Human Resources and Employment Relations from Penn State with a concentration in Ethics and Leadership.

Tiffani Vargas, SAFE Credit Union’s Executive Vice President, Chief Lending Officer, oversees nearly half of the credit union’s income centers, including the mortgage division, loan servicing, collections, personal lending, auto financing, college funding, insurance products, commercial and small business lending and banking. Tasked with the organizational leadership and strategic oversight of all lending at SAFE, Tiffani is focused on balancing efficiency, risk, profitability, growth, and performance in a dynamic environment. Tiffani is passionate about people and is committed to meaningful collaboration with her team, peers and industry colleagues for the collective growth and success of all.  

Prior to joining SAFE in 2018, Tiffani served as Vice President for a private mortgage loan servicer and originator for 16 years.  Tiffani’s career in lending spans over three decades and has been in executive leadership for 26 years. Educated in business, she earned her bachelor’s degree from Auburn University and her master’s degree from California State University, Sacramento.

When not at the helm of lending at SAFE, Tiffani is a wellness enthusiast and offers support to the community by serving on First Tee of Sacramento’s Board of Directors. Every day she strives to inspire others to dedicate themselves to excellence.

As Senior Vice President, Information Technology, Michelle Bradshaw oversees core applications, IT operations, and business transformation. Her focus is on providing SAFE members an outstanding experience in the digital space. With over 27 years of technology leadership experience, Michelle lays the foundation of innovation at SAFE, focusing on smart growth and service.

Michelle’s extensive experience in the finance industry began at Ohio-based First Merit Bank where, after moving up through the ranks, she took on a leadership role overseeing the application and core systems teams. She later spent six years as Chief Information Officer at Arizona Central Credit Union, implementing strategy and project management tactics to a much larger IT operations team, including launching an innovation lab for new digital financial tools and services. More recently, Michelle served as Senior Vice President at Global Credit Union where she led 13 product teams, implemented an agile approach to project management, and successfully led two acquisitions, including a full conversion effort, and identifying a long-term strategy for the combined institution.

Michelle shares SAFE’s passion for community engagement, serving on the board of directors of Live & Learn, a Maricopa County based non-profit committed to empowering women experiencing poverty, violence, and homelessness. Bradshaw brings her leadership and empathy to the organization with programs including bridging the digital divide and implementing neighborhood grants.

Marleaux Flournoy is the Senior Vice President Business Intelligence & Data Management (BI/DM). He leads SAFE’s Business Intelligence & Reporting (BIR), Data Engineering & Management (DEM), and Data Governance teams.

Marleaux comes to SAFE with over 20 years of experience in data engineering and architecture, business intelligence, analytics, software engineering, and senior leadership across multiple industries, including financial services. He has provided tangible value to companies in the cable and satellite television, health care, insurance, banking, government, public safety, education, and real estate industries.

Before coming to SAFE, he served as Vice President, Information Services with Travis Credit Union, responsible for business analytics, data engineering, application engineering, Salesforce application development, enterprise architecture, and data governance. He also was the Chief Technology Officer for both a nonprofit and analytics and strategic technology consulting organization.

He earned a BS in business management, marketing, and related support services from California State University, Sacramento. He is a former member of the Davis Waldorf School Board of Directors.

Ken has worked in banking for 30 years. He is responsible for all aspects of the Commercial Lending and Business Banking origination channels, collaborating with our Credit Administration and Portfolio Management partners to provide a meaningful experience for our members. Ken has led teams, built strong partnerships, and made it his mission to help others, starting out at a community bank, a non-bank lender, and large commercial banks. He joined SAFE in 2011. Ken strives to support our local business community with best solutions and delivering exceptional experiences. 

An alumnus of California State University, Sacramento, Ken serves on the board of Folsom TEDcorp (Folsom Tourism and Economic Development) and is a member of ACRE (Association of Commercial Real Estate Executives).

Gina Olson, SVP Member Services and Operations, is a key member of SAFE's Executive Team, responsible for developing and executing efficient and cost-effective operations to enhance member experience, quality of delivery, and process improvement across the organization. Tapping into her deep knowledge of technology she applies her experience toward implementing SAFE's vision and strategic priorities. Paramount to that effort is aligning operational functions to service level commitments, streamline workforce efforts, and improve service consistency across all channels.

As a seasoned veteran of SAFE, Gina has focused much of her more than 30-year career in the technology space advancing from working as a programmer and analyst to becoming Senior Vice President of Enterprise Applications. Prior to joining the IT Department, Gina worked in, as well as led, many teams at SAFE including Card Services, Compliance, Deposit Services, and Loss Prevention. She began her career as a teller at SAFE's Watt Avenue Branch.

Along with her technological background, Gina has focused many years at SAFE implementing and overseeing SAFE's Project Management Office. One of her proudest accomplishments was leading a team of 200-plus employees across all business channels including - multiple consultants, and vendor partners ‐ through SAFE's Core System Upgrade in 2022. The effort culminated many years of preparation and required extensive collaboration across the organization to ensure success ‐ all the while meeting challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Gina is a member of CUNA (Credit Union National Association) Operations Council and CUNA's Payments Subcommittee. She is also Executive Sponsor of SAFE's LGBTQ+ employee resource group.

As the Senior Vice President, Internal Audit Executive, Sun plays a crucial role in maintaining the organization's operational integrity, efficiency, and effectiveness. Leading a dynamic internal audit team, he is responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive internal audit strategy and a risk-based audit plan across all organizational areas. He provides the Audit Committee, the Board of Directors, and Executive Leadership with independent and objective evaluations of SAFE's internal controls, risk management practices, governance processes, and operational efficiencies. Additionally, Sun offers insights and recommendations to enhance these areas, ensuring the organization operates with transparency, accountability, and integrity.

With 24 years of experience in external/internal audit, finance, and enterprise risk management in the financial services industry, Sun possesses an in-depth understanding of the complexities within financial institutions. Sun spent the first decade of his career at Deloitte and KPMG. As a Director at KPMG, Sun served global financial institutions with auditing and transaction services. He then transitioned from his role as Head of Business Finance at Fidelity Investment in Korea, where he collaborated closely with the Country CEO to oversee the company’s financial performance and reporting, before joining SAFE Credit Union in 2013.

Sun is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC). He holds degrees in both engineering and accounting, showcasing his diverse expertise and commitment to professional excellence in the challenging financial landscape.

Michael Popp is a veteran real estate and lending professional with over 25 years of extensive banking experience. Throughout his career, Michael has gained a reputation for his ability to develop programs and lending products that are member centered and support enterprise goals. Michael joined SAFE Credit Union in 2022 and is responsible for leading Real Estate sales and operations and has oversight of the credit union’s mortgage and equity products.

Prior to joining SAFE, Michael served as SVP, Chief Retail Officer at Golden 1 Credit Union where he led experience for members and employees within branch, contact center, and digital channels that resulted in high satisfaction and growth. He also served as VP of Professional Services for CU Direct, where he led new ventures to bring holistic lending support services to credit unions across the country.

Michael and his wife Tracy live in Rocklin and have two sons attending college. In his spare time, he and his wife enjoy playing a few rounds of golf and visiting wineries throughout Northern California. Known in professional circles as a humorist, Michael lists swimming the English Channel backwards and fighting a grizzly bear in Montana as personal developmental goals.

Creativity. Collaboration. Charisma. 

Throughout her career as a marketing and communication professional, Allison Yee-Garcia has earned a reputation as an innovative and charismatic leader whose marketing campaigns help drive significant culture changes and produce excellent results. SAFE is pleased to have welcomed Yee-Garcia to its dynamic team of executives in 2022.

Yee-Garcia’s experience includes serving as the Vice President of Marketing for Sacramento Republic FC, where she led the bold brand which represents passionate football fans across the region, and the club’s aspirations to represent Northern California on the Major League Soccer pitch. Her work can be seen in the successful launch of the team’s alternate jersey – the City Kit, a tribute to the indominable city the team calls home – as well as the club’s Watch Me campaign, igniting a regional women’s empowerment initiative through the beautiful game, beginning with the club’s bold community steps.

Throughout her career, she has proudly created campaigns for Sacramento. At 3fold Communications, a full-service marketing and consulting company, she helped build a client services team, which helped create one of the region’s most respected marketing and consulting agencies.