02/10/2025
Members 1st Federal Credit Union has announced key updates to its leadership structure, reflecting the organization’s continued commitment to growth, operational excellence and member-centric service. These changes, effective as of Feb. 1, will support the credit union’s strategic priorities and continue driving its mission forward of delivering unparalleled experiences.
Christy Pavlakovich has been promoted to chief administrative officer. In this role, she will continue to lead critical administrative areas of the credit union, including human resources and training. Additionally, she will now oversee all legal, compliance, security and risk areas of the organization.
Pavlakovich brings extensive experience in administrative leadership, having held executive roles at several financial institutions. Before joining Members 1st in 2023, she served as employee experience leader at First Commonwealth Bank, where she implemented initiatives to attract and retain top talent. From 2017 to 2023, she was executive vice president and chief human resources officer at Centric Bank, overseeing strategic human resources operations. Prior to that, she led organizational development and human resources functions at Metro Bank for over a decade and served as a key participant on the leadership team focusing on enterprise risk management.
Pavlakovich currently serves on the board of directors for Capital Area School for the Arts (CASA) and Vision Resources of Central Pennsylvania. She has been recognized twice with a national “Top Team” award in banking by American Banker through their Most Powerful Women in Banking program and was a 2018 recipient of the YWCA’s Women of Excellence Award.
Karen Roland has been promoted to chief marketing officer (CMO) from her most recent position, senior vice president of marketing. She was previously with Members 1st from 2019 to 2021 as vice president of member service and digital engagement and, before that, assistant vice president of marketing. Since rejoining Members 1st in 2024, Roland has played a pivotal role in advancing innovative marketing strategies, strengthening member relationships and enhancing the credit union’s community presence. As CMO, Roland will continue driving the organization’s marketing, relationship management and investment strategies forward.
Roland has been in the credit union space for over 15 years, most recently as an associate executive vice president with State Employees Credit Union in North Carolina, where she led marketing, communications and outreach. She was assistant vice president of marketing & communications for PSECU for over 10 years. Before the credit union industry, she held various leadership roles with The Hershey Company and served as an adjunct professor for Pennsylvania State University for five years.
Roland has served on several nonprofit boards, including United Cerebral Palsy of Central PA, Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance, and SECU Life and Investment Companies. She has been recognized as a Woman of Influence by Central Penn Business Journal and a Woman of Excellence by the YWCA.
The promotion of Pavlakovich and Roland to these key leadership roles reflects Members 1st's commitment to creating career paths for associates, growing internal talent and promoting from within whenever possible.
“Christy and Karen have demonstrated not only incredible adeptness in their areas of specialization, but also a firm dedication to our credit union’s mission and culture,” said Michael Wilson, Members 1st president and CEO. “Their leadership will further shape our commitment to creating a family of members, associates and communities who support each other in the credit union spirit of ‘people helping people.’”
This announcement comes as Members 1st kicks off its 75th anniversary, a significant milestone that underscores the organization’s legacy of service and dedication to its members, associates and communities.
Members 1st Federal Credit Union is a member-owned, not-for-profit financial institution with more than 600,000 members and $8 billion in assets. While its administrative headquarters is based in Enola, PA, Members 1st serves its members and communities through its network of nearly 60 branch locations throughout Adams, Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Lycoming, Northampton, Perry and York counties, as well as its robust digital banking and call center channels. To learn more about Members 1st, visit members1st.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.
