Coastal1 Credit Union Announces New Hires and Promotions

Brian Azar, President and Chief Executive Officer of Coastal1 Credit Union, is pleased to announce the following: 

Rich Hall has been promoted to Senior Vice President/Information Technology. He has overall responsibility for the technical stability, security and performance of the credit union’s technical infrastructure in relation to internal and external-facing technologies. Rich has been with the credit union for 26 years, most recently serving as VP/Information Technology. 

Brenda Cunningham has joined the credit union as Vice President/Internal Audit. She will play a key part in ensuring that proper internal controls and frameworks are in position to monitor daily business activities, reporting to the credit union’s Supervisory Committee. Brenda has nearly 30 years of experience in the accounting and internal auditing fields, most recently serving as SVP of Audit at Citizens Financial Group. She holds a BS in Accounting from Roger Williams University and volunteers at Lincoln High School, Emmanual Episcopal Church and at Loaves & Fishes (a mobile food pantry). 

Bethany Bishop has joined the credit union as Assistant Vice President/Loan Servicing. She leads a team responsible for managing the day-to-day mortgage and consumer loan servicing operations while facilitating improvements in efficiency, streamlining processes, and enhancing service quality. Bethany has over 15 years of experience in the banking industry, most recently serving as Loan Servicing Manager at Navigant Credit Union. She holds a BS from Johnson & Whales University. 

Scott Handren has been promoted to Assistant Vice President/Business Analyst, where he brings over 18 years of experience in the financial services industry. He joined the Enterprise Program Management Office in 2023 and has played a key role in initiatives focused on process improvement, cross-functional collaboration, and strategic planning. Scott has been with the credit union for over 12 years and holds a Bachelor's degree in Business from Southern New Hampshire University and actively supports the credit union’s community outreach efforts.