MEMBER PROFILE

Diane Hecht

While living in New Jersey in 1995, I decided to move to Ithaca to care for my elderly mother and to purchase a home here. My daughter set up appointments for me at Alternatives to discuss obtaining a mortgage and I remember her telling me not to dress up "NJ Style" as the small credit union on State Street in Ithaca was not like any bank I'd ever seen. She was so right! In the lobby dogs were barking and waiting for their snacks from the very casually dressed tellers, while babies were playing in areas provided by the Credit Union - that was the beginning of my love affair with Alternatives.

Over the past 13 years since offering me that first mortgage, as both Alternatives and I have grown and prospered, they have provided Home Equity loans to help me care for my mother, create my own small business, and this past spring to re-mortgage and pay off debts. The wonderful people in the Alternatives mortgage department offer amazing expertise in a very caring manner. Many thanks to all of you at Alternatives who offer your services for our community!

Board Hires Tristram Coffin

We’ve done it. Searching almost a year, going two rounds, reviewing many qualified candidates and interviewing the best of the best, we are happy to report that Tristram Coffin will be the next Alternatives CEO. Until his arrival, Leni Hochman, Alternatives Chief Operations Officer, is acting as interim CEO.

Tristram comes to Alternatives with over ten years of CEO experience, most recently with One Washington Financial, an organization that provides mortgage, investment and loan products to 34 credit unions in the Pacific Northwest. In that role he guided the development of an innovative short term loan product to provide Washington credit union members with a lower cost alternative to payday lending. He also helped build a partnership between credit unions and a non-profit community action agency to deliver financial services to underserved people in Eastern Washington. Tristram has been recognized as one of the "40 Under 40" outstanding business leaders in the Seattle metropolitan area. Previously he had served for five years as CEO of CUSERVE, a subsidiary of Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union that gained national recognition as the Credit Union Service Organization of the Year.

Thanks are due to the eight dedicated members of the Search Committee who spent many hours for well over a year planning and conducting the search.
Staff: Leni Hochman, Melissa Pollack, Lenore Olmstead and Karl Graham.
Board: Yvette Rubio, Brian Hunt, Alison Christie and Joe Greenberg.

Tristram comments on his new journey at Alternatives:

“Alternatives has made a unique mark in the world of credit unions and the Ithaca community by offering innovative programs with a different approach. I am looking forward to working with a talented and dedicated staff and board to maintain and enhance Alternatives' position as a force in community asset building.”