Our leaders are focused on doing right by you.

Our Executive Team members offer an impressive mix of experience and expertise. The bottom line is that they really do know how to run a credit union that offers maximum benefits to its members. But they're not about to rest on past success. At Frontwave, everyone from our top managers to our tellers is committed to building a better tomorrow.

BILL BIRNIE

President/CEO

Mr. Bill Birnie has led Frontwave Credit Union as President and CEO since August 31, 2015, driving its growth and expanding its reach across Southern California. With over 25 years in the credit union industry, he has built his career on financial leadership and member advocacy.

Mr. Birnie's connection to Frontwave runs deep. In 1988, he volunteered on the Supervisory Committee and later joined the Board of Directors while serving on Active Duty as a Marine. After retiring as a Sergeant Major in 1997, he became Internal Auditor at Pacific Marine Credit Union (now Frontwave Credit Union) and later Vice President of Finance & Risk Management.

He led Eagle Community Credit Union as President and CEO, steering it through the Great Recession. In 2015, he returned to Frontwave as CEO and has since grown the Credit Union from $726 million in assets and 78,000 Members to $1.41 billion in assets and more than 128,000 Members.

A 25-year U.S. Marine Corps veteran, he retired as a Sergeant Major after serving in Operations Desert Storm (Kuwait) and United Shield (Somalia). His military experience instilled a lifelong commitment to service, which continues to guide his work in the credit union industry.

Mr. Birnie earned Highest Honors from Western Credit Union Management School in 2004 and received the Charles M. Clark Memorial Award for leadership. Since 2008, he has mentored future credit union leaders as a faculty member.

Beyond Frontwave, he champions financial literacy and community development. He serves on the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce Board (where he previously served as Chair), the Finance Committee of the Ocean Museum of Art, and as a Director for PsychArmor, supporting veterans and military families.

He also advocates for the credit union movement, serving on the Advisory Board for Corelation and as a member of the California Credit Union League and the San Diego Credit Union Political Action Committee.

RYAN HUFF

Chief Information Officer

Mr. Huff has over 30 years of Information Technology experience, including more than 15 years in the credit union industry.

While completing his bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems at California State University, Fullerton, Mr. Huff began his credit union career as a Programmer at SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union (formerly Orange County Teachers Federal Credit Union). He later earned his MBA from the University of Southern California.

In addition to his time at SchoolsFirst, Mr. Huff held a technology leadership role at Orange County’s Credit Union as AVP Digital Technology and Software Engineering, where he served immediately prior to joining Frontwave. He also spent time at Wescom Credit Union, where he led a software development team. Beyond the credit union industry, Mr. Huff served as a Solutions Architect at Arthur Andersen, led a team of software developers at Pacific Alternative Asset Management Company, and provided software development consulting services to several other organizations.

Mr. Huff has a diverse background in leading Information Technology teams focused on Software Development, Data Analytics, Digital Channels, and System Integration.

TODD KERN 

Chief Experience Officer

Mr. Kern is a marketing and brand management veteran whose career includes work in the entertainment industry as well as in financial services.

After graduating from the University of Southern California with a bachelor’s degree in Humanities & Theater, Mr. Kern began his career as a professional musician and entrepreneur, composing music and managing his own record company in Nashville, Tenn.

He later served as the general manager for San Diego-based record-label PC Music and as Marketing Director for BMG Music Publishing, a subsidiary of BMG Entertainment. Mr. Kern’s creativity and ability to build brands has helped reshape and turn around several companies focused on the Next Generation market.

He began his financial services career with USA Federal Credit Union as Vice President of Marketing. He went on to work at Elevations Credit Union in Boulder, Col., where he helped Elevations become the first credit union to win the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Performance Excellence. Mr. Kern and his teams have also received numerous industry awards from CUNA Marketing & Business Development Council, Credit Union Executive Society (CUES), Marketing Association of Credit Unions (MAC), and the American Marketing Association.

He is an active speaker on the credit union industry conference circuit and has taught courses at the CUES School of Strategic Marketing.

DENNIS KINGERY

Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Kingery has over 25 years of financial and accounting experience, strengthening operational resiliency and developing strong teams by creating a culture of continuous improvement.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business finance from McPherson College, Mr. Kingery served as a volunteer teacher in Nigeria for two years. He then went on to obtain a master’s degree in international development from the University of Denver Josef Korbel School of International Studies, as well as his certification as a Certified Public Accountant.

A 20-year veteran of the credit union industry, Mr. Kingery started his credit union career as the Director of Credit Union Operations for Church of the Brethren Credit Union. He then served as Senior Director of Finance at Westerra Credit Union, followed by Executive Vice President, Operations and Chief Sales & Services Officer at San Diego County Credit Union.

Immediately prior to joining Frontwave, Mr. Kingery served as VP of Finance at San Diego Workforce Partnership. He has also served as a trustee at McPherson College and as a board member and committee chair for Eder Financial.

PAUL LEONHARDT

Chief Lending Officer

Mr. Leonhardt has been a leader in the credit union lending space since 2005.

After graduating from Saint Louis University with a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics, Mr. Leonhardt spent 10 years working for Enterprise Rent-A-Car, where he was promoted rapidly through a series of leadership positions of increasing responsibility.

Mr. Leonhardt joined the credit union industry in 2005, as the Director of Consumer Lending for SchoolsFirst Credit Union in Tustin, CA. After graduating from the Western CUNA Management School in 2008, he went on to serve as Vice President of Lending for several credit unions in Central and Northern California, before being named SVP/Chief Lending Officer for Credit Union ONE in Ferndale, MI, in 2014. He returned to California in 2017, signing on as SVP/Chief Lending Officer for Financial Partners Credit Union in Downey, CA. Immediately prior to joining Frontwave in March 2020, Mr. Leonhardt served as Vice President of Consumer & Student Lending for USC Credit Union.

Mr. Leonhardt brings broad experience in lending operations to Frontwave, with a proven track record of driving excellence, efficiencies, and growth in consumer lending, mortgage lending, commercial lending, and collections.

SARAI RODGERS

Chief Human Resources Officer

Mrs. Rodgers is a strategic HR executive known for aligning people strategy with business goals. Adept in talent management, organizational development, and change leadership, Mrs. Rodgers has a proven track record of building high-performing teams, driving cultural transformation, and enhancing employee engagement.

Her career includes a series of senior leadership roles across multiple industries. She has held key positions such as Human Resources Director at Netscape Communications, Director of Organization Effectiveness at AOL Time Warner, Vice President of Human Resources at Modern Postcard, Director of Human Resources at West Development, and Vice President of Talent Resources at ARS National Services.