Meet Our Leaders

Jonathan W. Roberts is President and CEO. Prior to joining HVCU in 2022, Jonathan served as Head of the Community Bank at Webster Bank. His career in financial services spans nearly 30 years at a number of well-respected institutions, including Fifth Third Bank, Citizens Bank, FNB Corp and Santander North America. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati, and Stonier Graduate School of Banking, he is also an alumni of The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

John Fede is Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer. John most recently served as the Senior Vice President of Technology Services at Ent Credit Union in Colorado. Prior to Ent Credit Union, John was with KPMG as their IT Infrastructure Director.  He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Natural Resource Science from Rutgers University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland. 

Amy Jakobeit is Executive Vice President and Chief of Member Operations. She has more than 30 years of experience in financial services, leading teams, transforming business models, and delivering high quality results. After earning her A.A.S. in Business Administration, she graduated from the Consumer Bankers Association’s Executive Banking School. She earned the Accredited Mortgage Professional (AMP) designation from Mortgage Bankers Association’s School of Mortgage Banking, and is Six Sigma Greenbelt certified. Amy served the United Way of Meriden-Wallingford for over 20 years in various roles including Board President. Prior to joining HVCU, she was Senior Managing Director, Head of Residential & Consumer Lending at Webster Bank.  

Chris Kieffer is Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer. Chris’ career in financial services spans more than 30 years, starting with foundational roles in branch banking, back office operations, and finance. He spent nearly 22 years with First Bank in Missouri, serving in several senior leadership roles focused on growth and innovation in payments and digital channels, strategic product development, and data engineering and analytics. He most recently served as the Chief Operating Officer at Scott Credit Union in Illinois.

Rick Lionhood is Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer. Rick most recently was Head of Retail Branch Network at Webster Bank, and previously was with Santander Bank, where he served as Director of Distribution and Support for the Retail Network. Rick has a BS in Finance from Eastern Illinois University, and an Executive Banking Degree from ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking with a leadership accreditation from Wharton School of Business. 

Mark Timmerman is Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer. Prior to joining Hudson Valley Credit Union in 2017, Mark was with Anchor Bank as their Executive Vice President, General Counsel/Corporate Secretary.   He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Master of Business Administration from Wisconsin School of Business, and his Juris Doctor, Law from University of Wisconsin Law School.

Scott VanZandt is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Since 1997 he has held a variety of positions at Hudson Valley Credit Union including Vice President of Financial Planning, Analysis and Compliance, Controller, and Accounting Manager. Scott has an MBA in Finance from Marist College, and a BS in Accounting from Mount Saint Mary College.

Desiree Wolfe is Executive Vice President and Chief Experience Officer. Desiree joined HVCU with 25 years of experience bringing great ideas to life through product management and marketing for companies in the financial services and technology industries. As Chief Experience Officer for HVCU, she is responsible for optimizing the experiences of our employees, members, and community with executive oversight of the HR, Marketing, Product, and Digital Channel teams. She has held leadership positions at Salesforce, Webster Bank, Fiserv, and JPMorgan Chase. Desiree earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Georgetown University and her MBA from Columbia University.