SANTA ANA, Calif. – January 30, 2017 – Orange County’s Credit Union is pleased to announce the promotion of Art Armas to Vice President of Business Services and Gigi Elmasry, Kari De Santis, and Azul Sanchez to Assistant Vice President, Regional Branch Manager.
Under Armas’s leadership, commercial deposits and loans have grown as the number of commercial accounts and Memberships climb. In his new position, Armas will continue to advance the organization toward its strategic vision and plan for Orange County’s Credit Union’s business services program. He has more than 14 years of combined experience in the mortgage and commercial lending business and has been with the Credit Union for seven years. “Armas is highly collaborative in his approach to strategic planning and other credit union work, possesses strong technical expertise that is freely shared across the organization, and is an outstanding leader and coach for his team,” states Jeff Harper, SVP, Chief Lending Officer. In addition, Armas is a member of the Commercial Real Estate Professionals of Orange County and recently completed his first of a three-year program at the Pacific Coast Banking School of Business.
Elmasry is responsible for Member service and daily operations of the St. Andrew Branch in Santa Ana. She will continue to manage her home branch, as well as oversee the managers of the Mission Viejo Branch and the Yorba Linda Branch. She has 30 years of experience in the banking industry including Wells Fargo, Washington Mutual, and JP Morgan Chase. Elmasry has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mass Communication from American University in Cairo (AUC).
De Santis has been in the banking industry for more than 20 years, with 10 of those years at the Credit Union. She’s responsible for the daily operations of the Fountain Valley branch as well as the managers of the Lake Forest Branch, the Ross Branch, and the Stadium Branch. De Santis has built solid relationships with local businesses in the area to provide Credit Union benefits and financial education to their employees. She also has experience with project management and implementation of new programs such as the Credit Union’s customer relationship management system.
Sanchez has been in the banking industry for more than 13 years including Bank of America and Wells Fargo. She will continue to oversee the daily operations of the Long Beach Branch as well as the managers of the Irvine Branch and the Fullerton Branch. Sanchez has an Associates of Arts Degree in Business Management and will be obtaining a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications this spring. Sanchez is a graduate of the Neighborhood Leadership Program which is sponsored by the City of Long Beach. This experience has helped her network and find partnership opportunities to support the Long Beach community. She has served on the board of local non-profit organizations, is heavily involved in the community, and has received much recognition from Senators, Congressmen, and council members.
About Orange County’s Credit Union – Santa Ana-based financial services provider exceeding $1.4 billion in assets with more than 99,000 Members. Services offered include checking and mobile banking, savings, retirement accounts, and auto, home, and small business loans. Anyone who lives or works in Orange or Riverside Counties and the neighboring communities of Long Beach, Signal Hill, Lakewood, and Cerritos can bank at the Credit Union. The Credit Union is ranked in the top three percent of credit unions nationwide based on assets. In 2016, the Credit Union was honored with the “Award for Workplace Excellence” by Peter Barron Stark Companies and for the past three years, ranked in the top two of the “OC Register’s Best of Orange County” credit unions. For more information, visit the Credit Union’s Web site at www.orangecountyscu.org, or call (888) 354-6228
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