MODESTO, Calif. – Valley First Credit Union has named Charlene Almeria as its new CFO. With more than 20 years of experience in financial leadership across the credit union industry, Almeria brings a powerful blend of strategic insight, operational excellence, and a deep commitment to the credit union philosophy of people helping people, the credit union said.
Almeria most recently served as vice president of finance and accounting at 1st United Credit Union, where she led all aspects of financial operations including budgeting, reporting, and team development.
Prior to that, she spent over seven years at Mirastar FCU in various executive roles, including Vice President of Treasury and Assistant Vice President of Finance.
“Almeria has demonstrated a strong ability to guide financial strategy, lead high-performing teams, and support organizational growth with thoughtful and data-driven decision-making,” VFCU said. “Her extensive experience also includes leadership positions at Commonwealth Central Credit Union and Valley Credit Union, where she honed her expertise in forecasting, risk management, asset/liability modeling, and regulatory compliance.”
Almeria holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting and is highly skilled in a variety of financial systems and tools, including Workday Adaptive Planning, Fiserv XP2, and Microsoft Dynamics GP.
“We are thrilled to welcome Charlene to our executive team,” said Kathryn J. Davis, President and CEO of Valley First Credit Union. “She brings a depth of knowledge and experience that will be invaluable as we continue to grow and serve our members with financial excellence. Beyond her technical expertise, Charlene has a genuine passion for empowering people and strengthening communities – values that are deeply aligned with who we are at Valley First.”
Almeria will oversee the credit union’s finance and accounting functions, as well as dispute operations, providing strategic guidance as Valley First continues to serve more than 80,000 members and steward over $1 billion in assets.
“I am truly honored to join Valley First Credit Union and be part of an organization that puts people and purpose at the center of everything it does,” said Almeria. “I look forward to contributing to its continued success and working with a team that is clearly passionate about making a difference in the lives of its members.”