Extensia Financial Announces Addition of Extraordinary Talent and Leadership to Its New Board of Directors

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Extensia Financial has announced that Dimple Shah, Glenn Christensen, Jackie Buchanan, and Steve Coomes, all exceptional credit union and financial services thought leaders and influencers, will be joining the Board of Directors. As one of the most seasoned Credit Union Service Organizations (CUSO) focused on commercial real estate, and bolstered by its recent investment from AVANA Companies, Extensia Financial is delighted to welcome these new board members whose incredible knowledge and expertise will lead to industry-changing ideas and innovations as well as countless opportunities for development and growth.

AVANA Companies identified and invited these credit union and financial services leaders to join the Extensia Board of Directors to shepherd the company’s mission to build and preserve communities through Commercial Real Estate (CRE) and Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) lending opportunities. Their unique perspectives and insights into the credit union industry will enable Extensia to enhance product offerings for our credit union partners that are aimed at preserving wealth, achieving portfolio diversification and growth, and furthering social objectives that improve our local economies and our environment.

“Extensia Financial is excited about the collective talent these industry leaders will add to our company’s Board of Directors. Their combined expertise in corporate strategy, credit union operations and growth, and financial institutions leadership will be of great value as AVANA Companies and Extensia navigate a planned trajectory of significant growth,” said Sundip Patel, Chief Executive Officer.

“It is our consistent goal to support the credit union industry and to create positive partnerships that benefit our community in all that we do. We look forward to collaborative conversations that will lead to the long-term success of Extensia and the elevation of our industry as a whole,” added Brianna Vaughan, VP of Operations.

Dimple Shah brings over 20 years of experience developing and executing board-level, corporate and business strategy to fuel operating margin expansion for publicly traded, mid-cap to Fortune 500 companies, primarily in the Financial Services sector. She has served in a senior project management role at Paypal and strategy management at Hewlett-Packard. Ms. Shah was named one of the “Top 10 to Watch” by Wealth Management Magazine in 2019 for her innovative work in the industry. She earned her BA in Economics from Stanford University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Glenn Christensen is President/CEO of CEO Advisory Group. With nearly four decades of experience in the credit union industry, Mr. Christensen brings deep insight into credit union growth, M&A and financial strategies, and is a frequent speaker and author on mergers, financial strategy, and technology. Mr. Christensen holds an MBA and Bachelors in Business Administration from the University of Washington.

Jackie Buchanan has been the President & CEO of Genisys Credit Union, located in Auburn Hills, MI, since 2010. Genisys, the fourth largest credit union in Michigan, is $3.5 billion in assets and has 32 branches in three states. Ms. Buchanan holds a CPA license (inactive status), has a Bachelor of Accountancy from Walsh College and a Masters in Information Technology from Lawrence Technological University.

Stephen Coomes is a retired financial services and operational leader with over 30 years of financial institutions experience, most notably in the credit union environment. He was the President and CEO of United SA Federal Credit Union in San Antonio TX, and retired in 2014. Mr. Coomes has an MBA in Finance from Butler University, Indianapolis IN, and a BA from Wabash College, Crawfordsville, IN. He also holds the Certified Chief Executive Designation (CCE) from the Credit Union Executives Society of Madison, WI.

About Extensia Financial

Extensia Financial is one of the most seasoned Credit Union Service Organization (CUSOs) focused on originating and servicing commercial real estate loans. Established in 1998, Extensia is a customer service-driven organization connecting credit unions with commercial real estate borrowers, commercial mortgage brokers and high-net-worth investors through participation lending. The company is headquartered in Northridge, California. To learn more, visit www.extensiafinancial.com.

About AVANA Companies

The AVANA Family of Companies has been dedicated to stimulating local economies and contributing to clean energy development through commercial lending and asset management for almost two decades. AVANA Companies is a commercial lender; an asset manager; a majority stakeholder in a CUSO (Credit Union Services Organization); and has recently launched two FINTECH platforms, EqualSeat (TM) (a loan marketplace platform), and LendThrive (TM) (an SME lending platform). Please visit www.avanacompanies.com.

AVANA Capital, LLC is licensed in California under DBO license number 603K752 and in Arizona under CBK license number 0921662. To learn more visit https://avanacapital.com.