PALM DESERT, Calif.–Angelmarie Kendall, senior marketing specialist for Sacramento Credit Union, was named the first-place winner and presented with the $10,000 grand prize for her initiative, The First Impression Fund, during “The PITCH” competition held during California’s and Nevada’s Credit Unions’ REACH conference here.
Kendall was one of four credit union “innovators pitching bold initiatives designed to empower credit union members and uplift their communities,” California’s and Nevada’s Credit Unions said.
Finalists were given just a several minutes to pitch community-first ideas to their credit union peers and industry leaders in the audience.
Along with The PITCH, the REACH conference’s keynote speakers and learning tracks helped lay the groundwork for credit union leaders to amplify their legislative and regulatory voices heading into 2027, serving as a catalyst for advocacy across California and Nevada. Both brought together talent and industry partners to shape the movement’s future.
“Every idea you’ll hear this morning started the same way,” said Amanda Merz, vice president of credit union affairs for California’s and Nevada’s Credit Unions. “Someone at a credit union saw a need in their community, and they couldn’t look away.”
The Judges
The judges for the competition included:
- Latrice McGlothin, community executive director at Kinecta Federal Credit Union and winner of The PITCH at REACH 2025
- Bryan Vlok, foundation partnerships director at Children’s Miracle Network
- Tena Lozano, executive director of the Richard Myles Johnson (RMJ) Foundation and chair of the California Jump$tart Coalition.
While the judges posed follow-up questions, the final outcome was decided by the audience via live mobile voting.
The Winning Pitch
Kendall’s winning initiative tackles a barrier in workforce readiness — the financial hurdle of interview attire. The First Impression Fund provides recent high school and college graduates with $200 toward professional clothing, removing an added financial burden during the pivotal leap from school to career.
“First impressions shouldn’t be defined by what someone can afford to wear,” Kendall said. “When someone feels confident in how they present themselves, they can focus on showcasing their skills, personality, and potential. It can be the difference between walking in worried about how they look and walking in ready to show what they can do.”
Kendall will use the $10,000 seed-money prize to launch the fund as a scalable model for credit unions nationwide.
Others Making their Pitch
- Second Place: Arturo Zaragoza, director of financial equity programs at Ventura County Credit Union — Growing Futures: Agricultural Entrepreneurship Simulation for Youth. This is a hands-on business simulation teaching high school agriculture science students the financial and operational realities of running a sustainable farm.
- Third Place: Stephanie Garrison, chief risk officer for OceanAir Federal Credit Union — Collaborative Risk, Collective Protection. This is a dedicated Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) CUSO (credit union service organization) allowing credit unions to pool fraud and cyber risk intelligence, assessment tools, and consumer education.
- Fourth Place: Chris Lowe, vice president of retail operations, and Omar Ramirez, director of lending, for County Schools Federal Credit Union — Launch 25. A cohort program mentoring 25 graduating seniors through their first year of post-high school, pairing coaching with milestone savings matches (such as a first $500 emergency fund).
