TAMPA, Fla. – GTE Financial, one of Florida’s largest credit unions, has named adept lending executive, Dona Svehla, as vice president of fraud/ BSA and member resolution.
“Dona’s professional career is respected and her strategic management and leadership expertise align perfectly with our organization,” says Brain Best, chief experience officer and acting CEO of GTE Financial. “In this role, she brings to GTE a true understanding of how important it is to develop feasible solutions for members during unforeseen financial challenges and create a stronger relationship with them in the long term, which is what we strive to do.”
Svehla has more than 20 years of experience in lending, loss prevention, and collections with prominent cooperatives. She began her career with Alliant Credit Union in Chicago as a collector and established the financial institution’s fraud department and served as a collection / fraud manager. Svehla brought her expertise and leadership skills to Grow Financial where she held numerous senior positions, including her most recent role as SVP of Retail Lending and Loss Prevention, which won her the Credit Union Times Trailblazer Award - Lending Officer of the Year in 2013.
Svehla earned her Bachelor of Arts in Social Behavioral Sciences from National Louis University in Chicago. She also received a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from Saint Leo University. Svehla was a member of the CUNA Lending council and appointed to Executive Council in 2014.