Leadership team
The leadership team of Oregon Community Credit Union is comprised of individuals with expansive expertise in the financial industry, all working together to carry out the vision and mission of the organization.
Ron Neumann
President & Chief Executive Officer
Ron is a forward-thinking leader who is committed to bringing value to OCCU’s members and employees. He has been a member of the OCCU Leadership Team since 2010, having had oversight of organizational areas including lending, credit, finance, technology, risk management, security and human resources. His team-centered approach has allowed OCCU to further enhance the member experience through new technologies and security tools, as well as the introduction of new strategic planning and financial management processes.
He adds a background of innovation, collaboration and strategy to the OCCU team with more than 20 years of experience in large domestic and international manufacturing organizations. Prior to joining OCCU, Ron was President of Neumann Management Group, Inc., a consulting firm providing business solutions for clients throughout the Northwest.
Ron’s strong commitment to community involvement includes serving on the United Way of Lane County Board of Directors. He also serves as a member of the Governmental Affairs Committee of the Northwest Credit Union Association and sits on the CU Benefits Alliance Board of Directors.
Ron received his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan.
Russ Bernardo
Chief Lending Officer
As OCCU’s Chief Lending Officer, Russ oversees the credit union’s growing portfolio of residential and commercial loan products – including home loans, vehicle loans, lines of credit and student loans – as well as OCCU’s debit and credit card portfolios and services.
Russ brings more than 20 years of consumer lending experience to the OCCU team. During his career, he has led mortgage origination teams, as well as lending operations for several Oregon credit unions and credit union service organizations.
Russ has a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Management from the University of Oregon and a Master of Business Administration from Washington State University. Among other volunteer positions in the Eugene area, Bernardo serves on the Board of Directors and Finance Committee for Habitat for Humanity of Central Lane County.
Deborah Mersino
Chief Marketing & Experience Officer
Deborah is passionate about providing OCCU members with an exceptional member experience. She has been a member of the OCCU Leadership Team since 2014 and currently has oversight of marketing, communications, research and development, technology and enterprise project management.
Her strengths as a leader include fostering collaboration, driving innovation and striving to exceed the goals and objectives of the organization. Championing the OCCU brand and member experience, she serves as a “voice of the member” advocate to ensure OCCU stays aligned with its strong member-experience philosophy.
Deborah regularly speaks at national conferences on the subject of customer experience. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the OCCU Foundation.
Deborah came to OCCU with more than 17 years of marketing communications experience. She holds a B.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University. Prior to joining OCCU, she served as Chief Marketing Officer for an organization dedicated to serving education leaders and influencing public policy regarding the effective use of technology to improve education.
Greg Schumacher
Chief Financial & Administrative Officer
Greg joined OCCU in 2013 and his passion for effective and efficient use of resources is apparent in his leadership of OCCU’s administrative functions including finance; accounting; business intelligence; enterprise governance, risk, and compliance; loss prevention, facilities, and a host of back office support areas.
During his more than 27-year career in financial services, he has held leadership positions in corporate risk management and regulatory compliance. Greg holds a juris doctorate degree from Whittier College School of Law in California, is a licensed attorney and member of the Oregon State Bar, and acts as OCCU’s legal counsel with respect to regulatory compliance.
In addition to his law degree, Greg has a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from California State University at Long Beach. He also has served as a college-level undergraduate and graduate instructor and course developer in the areas of Business, Law, Accounting and Finance.
Brian Alfano
Chief Operations Officer
Brian joined the OCCU team in 2019 as Chief Operations Officer. He currently oversees the credit union’s retail operations functions, including the branch network, member contact center and organizational development teams.
Brian brings more than 15 years of retail banking operations and management experience to the OCCU team. His passion for community development, creative banking solutions and member loyalty programming will bring a new perspective to OCCU.
Alfano earned his B.S. in Economics, with a focus on Environmental Economics, from the University of Oregon. He is community service minded, serving on boards for a variety of economic and community development initiatives – a passion that aligns well with OCCU’s long-standing commitment to community involvement.