Our Executive and Senior Leadership Team

Carrie Birkhofer serves as President and CEO of Bay Federal Credit Union since 1995. Carrie’s passion is to help the community thrive and expand economic opportunity by providing access to locally owned financial products and services. Under Carrie’s leadership, the Credit Union has grown from $70 million to over $1.6 billion in assets. She partners with the Senior Leadership Team and the volunteer Board of Directors to set and drive the vision and mission for the Credit Union and to ensure strategy is executed, all while keeping the member and employee experience forefront in the Credit Union’s actions. Since 2015, Bay Federal’s award-winning culture and service has consistently been recognized as one of the Best Places to Work and the Best Places to Bank.

Carrie graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics from University of California, Santa Barbara, and is a Certified Public Accountant. Carrie is a key member of the community. She was recognized as Woman of the Year in 2018 by the Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce and inducted into the Monterey Bay Hall of Fame in 2023 by Junior Achievement. Carrie is past President and scholarship chair of Scotts Valley Rotary Club, CAP Committee Chair for the Cabrillo College Foundation, Secretary for the Salinas Valley Health Foundation, and serves on the Board for the California Nevada Credit Union League. She lives in Santa Cruz, CA where she raised her three adult children. She loves to walk on the ocean cliffs, read novels, and travel.

Cameron Haste is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer at Bay Federal Credit Union, the largest locally-owned financial institution in Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Monterey Counties.  As a key member of the Executive Team, Cameron partners closely with the Chief Executive Officer, the Senior Leadership Team, and the credit union’s Board of Directors to ensure the seamless alignment of strategy, objectives, and priorities. Cameron is dedicated to fostering a creative and collaborative work environment to consistently achieve results and deliver excellent service to members.

Beyond his role at Bay Federal, Cameron actively engages in community support for various causes, focusing on youth engagement, education, social services, and food equality. He currently serves as the Chairperson on the Board of Trustees of Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County and as a board member of the SLVUSD Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee (Measure S). Cameron's community involvement also includes past leadership roles, such as Board Chair for Hope Services, President of the San Lorenzo Valley Rotary Club, and various positions with non-profits throughout the region.

A graduate of California State University, Dominguez Hills, with a Bachelor’s Degree in International Business, Cameron has also completed the Credit Union Executives Society CEO Institute and holds the designation of Certified Credit Union Executive.  He is a graduate of the Leadership Santa Cruz and Monterey County programs. Outside of work, Cameron enjoys adventure travel experiences.

Trisha Bennett is the Vice President of Enterprise Application and Project Management Office for Bay Federal. In this role, Trisha oversees enterprise application support, ensuring alignment with the Credit Union's technology service model, and develops and implements project management strategy, governance, and standards of operation. Joining the organization in 2019 as Assistant Vice President of Enterprise Application and Project Management Office, Trisha brought a combined 20 years of credit union and IT experience. A graduate of the University of California, Davis, Trisha holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology and a Business Analysis Certification from the University’s extension program. Trisha has since furthered her education by earning her Project Management Professional certificate from the Project Management Institute. Trisha serves on the Board of Directors for the Pescadero Arts and Fun Festival and is Secretary of the Pesdacero Community Foundation. She enjoys spending her free time traveling with her family and appreciating all that the Santa Cruz Mountains have to offer.

Ryan Cash is the Senior Vice President and Chief Experience Officer. Ryan oversees the coordination and delivery of the member experience through all delivery channels, including the branch network, call center, ATMs, and digital banking solutions. Ryan joined the organization in 2015 and brings more than a 15 years of experience in the financial industry. Prior to joining Bay Federal, Ryan worked in a variety of management roles, including VP of Consumer Lending at Financial Partners Credit Union, Manager of Consumer Lending, Underwriting, and Credit Risk at Logix Federal Credit Union and Operations Manager at Santa Cruz Community Credit Union. Ryan has an MBA from Pepperdine University and a bachelor's degree from UC Santa Cruz. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Cruz County.

Stephanie Como is the Vice President of Digital Services. Stephanie oversees member interactions with Bay Federal Credit Union over digital channels including the online and mobile banking platforms, the member service center, and the digital lending team. Stephanie joined The Credit Union in 2023 with over 15 years of financial industry experience and nine years of credit union experience, bringing with her expertise in user experience optimization, process excellence, and project management. Stephanie graduated from Ave Maria University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and has continued her education with multiple professional certificates including Project Management Professional, Lean Six Sigma, Design Thinking, Journey Mapping, and UX. Apart from empowering her team to achieve amazing goals, Stephanie loves spending time at the beach with her husband, daughter, and two dogs. 

Alicia Flores is the Vice President of Member Services. Alicia began her career as a part-time teller at Bay Federal in 1981, and has over 30 years of service in the financial services industry. She oversees the Credit Union’s seven branch locations and team of branch managers. Alicia is responsible for all aspects of branch operations, member experience, production initiatives for achieving sales and business development efforts, and the organization’s high member service standards. Alicia holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management, and presently serves on the Board of Directors for the Hospice of Santa Cruz County.

Amy Ivey is the Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. Amy oversees the development, implementation, and execution of enterprise-wide marketing strategies that support growth and brand recognition. She is responsible for marketing strategy, public relations, corporate communications, events, employee education and development, financial education, and community development. Amy is a Certified Strategic Marketing Executive and a graduate of Western CUNA Management School. She holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Marketing from California Southern University and is pursuing her Masters in Business Administration. She is an Emeritus Trustee of Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County, serves on the Board of Directors for the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County, Monarch Services, Monterey County Business Council, volunteers for the Cabrillo College Foundation Women's Educational Success program, and is a Committee Member for CalCPA Attorneys, Bankers and CPAs Santa Cruz. She is a past member of the Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

Brooke Morley is the Senior Vice President and Chief Product Officer. Brooke previously worked for Bay Federal from 2008 until 2014, when she served as the Assistant Vice President of Lending. She moved to Southern California with her family where she led lending teams with various credit unions. In early 2021, she rejoined the Credit Union as the Vice President of Asset Management. As the Chief Product Officer, she oversees all of the credit union's product management and servicing, including deposit products, loan products, and card products. She also works closely with the consumer and mortgage lending teams to support the Credit Union’s lending programs and provides guidance and strategy for our automation and efficiency objectives. Brooke received two bachelor’s degrees from Santa Clara University, one in Economics and one in Finance. She also is a graduate of Leadership Santa Cruz County.

Megan Rhodes is the Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer. Megan joined the organization in 2008 and has over 30 years in the financial services industry. Megan oversees all aspects of consumer lending, mortgage lending, and loan operations. Prior to joining the Credit Union, Megan spent 25 years working in the Bay Area in the mortgage banking field and was responsible for a variety of functions including: wholesale and retail lending operations, risk assessment and management, regulatory compliance, and loss mitigation. Megan has a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies from San Jose State University. Megan has been active in many local fundraising activities in support of The Alzheimer’s Association, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Santa Cruz County, United Way of Santa Cruz County, Children’s Miracle Network and Second Harvest. Megan serves on the Board of Habitat for Humanity.

Richard Roark is the Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. Richard joined Bay Federal in 2016 to lead the Technology and Information Security departments. In his role, he is committed to ensuring the best and most secure banking experience for members. He comes to Bay Federal with extensive knowledge in the financial services industry, as well as a personal commitment to team building and best-of-breed technologies. Richard was previously the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Travis Credit Union, where he was employed for 20-plus years. At Travis, Richard also served as the VP of Information Technology, VP of Process Improvement and Network Security, and Assistant VP of Network Security and Operations. Richard is an alum of the Credit Union Executives Society and has earned the Certified Chief Executive designation. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems from Barrington University.

Michael brings nearly two decades of experience in the financial industry, including mortgage lending, operations and risk management, and customer service. He most recently worked at SAFE Credit Union as AVP, Real Estate Lending, overseeing a growing mortgage team similar to Bay Federal’s. Michael joined Bay Federal in 2022. He holds an MBA from CSU Sacramento, where he also earned his bachelor’s degree in Government. Outside of work Michael enjoys spending time with his wife and two children.

Allyson Stengl is the Vice President of Consumer and Business Lending. Allyson joined the organization in 2011 as a loan underwriter and has served as a team lead, Consumer Lending Manager, and most recently, AVP of Consumer Lending. In her role as VP of Consumer and Business Lending, she oversees all of the credit union's consumer lending functions and business lending initiatives. Allyson has a bachelor's degree in Business Management and Small Business Entrepreneurship from Sonoma State University. She is also a graduate of Leadership Santa Cruz County and the inaugural class of BayFed University, the Credit Union's management training program. She is a resident of Aptos, where she lives with her husband and two children.

Rita Toston is Vice President of Risk Management. Rita directs the Enterprise Risk Management program and monitors Bay Federal’s risk profile. She joined Bay Federal with twenty years of banking experience, including consulting through her own LLC for various small community banks and fintech firms. Her work history includes compliance, audit, and operations roles with Citibank, including Senior Vice President of Compliance Testing, where she supported all U.S. personal banking. Rita’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in management and finance from Park University and a master’s in business administration from Ottawa University. She also holds her Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager certification. When she isn’t working, Rita enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with her spouse, her two sons, and their rottweiler puppy, Cody.

Rick Weiss is the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Rick joined the organization in 2013 and has 27 years of experience of financial leadership within the credit union industry. Rick oversees all aspects of accounting and finance. Prior to joining Bay Federal, Rick was VP, Finance for First Tech Federal Credit Union. Rick earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a Concentration in Finance from San Jose State University. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County and is a past-Chair of the Santa Cruz County Business Council.

Patty Winters is the Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer. Patty oversees the development, implementation and execution of enterprise-wide human resources strategies that support the credit union’s strategic plan including Recruitment, Talent Management, Employee Relations, Compensation, Benefits, Management Training, and Organizational Development. Patty also oversees facilities, including all Bay Federal branch locations to ensure the security and safety of staff, members, and visitors on Credit Union premises. Patty joined the organization in 2012 and has been a leader in Human Resources for nearly three decades, focused on driving business results through the unique intersection of strategy, talent, and culture.  Patty earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Purdue University and is a certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR). She serves as the Chair for Women In Philanthropy and on the Board of Directors for United Way of Santa Cruz County.