Sandia Laboratory Federal Credit Union promotes two executives to newly created Senior Vice President positions
Veteran Lending Professionals are Key Part of Credit Union's Goal To Be Economic Engine in the Communities It Serves
ALBUQUERQUE, NM (November 9, 2022) — Sandia Laboratory Federal Credit Union (SLFCU) has promoted Diane Kapuranis to Senior Vice President, Mortgage & Consumer Lending and Dan Cover to Senior Vice President, Business Services. Both are new positions within the credit union.
“Collectively, these two professionals have 49 years’ experience with SLFCU. They have been an integral part of our success in the past, and we are excited to utilize their insight, experience and talent in new roles as we continue to strategically plan and evolve for the future. We recognize growing our consumer and commercial lending portfolios is critical to becoming the economic engine that moves the communities we serve forward,” said Stephanie Sherrodd, Chief Executive Officer.
Sherrodd continued, explaining SLFCU is dedicated to providing strong, diverse lending portfolios in communities that may have been underserved in the past. “We recognize that to continue to grow, we have to provide financing and services that help our members realize their goals as well as recognize and make the most of opportunities to promote economic development to assure the communities we serve thrive.”
Kapuranis began her career with SLFCU in 1986 after moving to New Mexico with her husband. She had earned a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree at Texas A&M University and worked for a credit union while in college and after graduation.
“I have always loved the credit union philosophy, so when I moved to Albuquerque, I decided to go big or go home and chose SLFCU because of its asset size,” she remembered.
Kapuranis has filled various roles at the credit union, including loan officer and branch manager, as well as serving as Vice President of Lending prior to her promotion. She admitted that retail and consumer lending is her first love. “We really make a difference in peoples’ lives. Whether they are buying their first home, upgrading to a dream home, financing a once-in-a-lifetime vacation or something else, we are an important part of realizing their dreams,” she said.
In her new role, Kapuranis plans to continue to grow the credit union’s consumer and mortgage loan division as well as educate members on their financial options. “We have a great team and incredible products that are competitive and really flexible to meet the needs of our members. We want to help our members on pre-approval and finding the loan product that is the best fit for them. A strong loan portfolio is a key part of growing SLFCU, and we are excited to assist even more members with mortgages and the loans they need in the future.”
Cover, who grew up in Albuquerque and graduated from the University of New Mexico with a BBA degree, has been in the financial services industry for 37 years and a member of SLFCU’s business services team since 2009. Prior to the promotion, he served as Vice President of Business Services.
“I was employee number four on SLFCU’s business service team when I joined, and I was excited to bring the philosophy of community-based lending to the credit union,” Cover recalled. He explained, “Community-based lending involves understanding our business members and their needs. It’s not about fitting them into a preconceived loan product, but about recognizing how we can find a loan that will help them be successful. One of our niches is construction loans, for example, and that has become increasingly challenging as supply chain issues have affected the industry.”
Cover added that other business services, such as lines of credit, real estate and equipment loans and treasury management can also be crucial in helping businesses streamline their finances and grow, adding to economic development in their communities and industries.
“Our credit union offers a real difference to our state’s small and medium-sized businesses. We are local and we care. At a time when larger banks and financial institutions are pulling out or investing less in our area, we want to do more. I’m excited about having our division be an economic powerhouse by providing business members with access to capital and other services they may have not been able to utilize in the past.”
Dan Cover
Diane Kapuranis
About Sandia Laboratory Federal Credit Union (SLFCU)
SLFCU was named by Forbes as a Best-in-State Credit Union for the sixth consecutive year in 2023. With $4 billion in assets, SLFCU serves more than 140,000 members, with 13 branches across New Mexico and California. Formed in 1948 by Sandia National Laboratories employees, SLFCU’s membership field now includes more than 1,400 partner companies in New Mexico and California. Employees of those companies and their family members use SLFCU for financial services, including checking, savings, home mortgages, auto loans, credit and debit cards and investment services. Members enjoy a nationwide, surcharge-free ATM system and free online account services. The Credit Union is federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA)and is an Equal Housing Lender.
