Board of Directors

Jim Kott has been a member of Innovations Federal Credit Union since 1988 and a member of other credit unions for over 40 years. He was elected to the Board of Directors of Innovations FCU in March 1992 and currently serves as Chairman. In 2005, he was selected as the first runner-up for Director of the Year at the credit union industry’s National Directors’ Conference.

Jim is a retired U.S. Navy Commander. His military career, which spanned 20 years, included tours of duty as Surface Warfare Officer and Commanding Officer of the USS Aylwin and the USS Francis Hammond.

In addition to his naval experience, Jim has 21 years of corporate management experience, including 13 years duing which he was responsible for procurement of materials in excess of $125 million per year. The majority of his experience in corporate management is in the area of procurement. He is currently retired from Wellstream.

A graduate of Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, Jim earned both BS and BA degrees.  He has taken MBA courses from the University of New Haven, Connecticut, as well as a variety of military courses throughout his naval career.

Jim is an Instructor Candidate for the AARP Safe Driving Course.

Mr. Rudolph is the president and owner of Rudolph Engineering and Construction, Inc. for the past 11 years. Prior to starting his own business, he served eight years as a civilian employee of the Coastal Systems Station. Mr. Rudolph holds a Bachelor of Science. degree in Mechanical Engineering and is registered in the state of Florida as a Professional Engineer (P.E.) and as a Class B Building Contractor.

Joseph Rudolph has been a member of Innovations Federal Credit Union since 1990. He is an active volunteer in the community with many professional and civic accomplishments to his credit. Mr. Rudolph currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Home Builders of Bay County and was a past member of the Board of Directors for the Bay Education Foundation and the Panama City Rescue Mission.

Rob Fernandez joined Innovations Federal Credit Union in 1995. He has served on the Innovations Supervisory Committee for the past 7 years, most recently in the capacity of Chairman, a position he has held since 2003.

Rob was a Navy Civilian Engineer from 1967 until his retirement in 2002. He served in the position of Engineering Manager from 1986 to 2002. Currently, Rob teaches Math and Engineering at Arnold High School and Gulf Coast Community College.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and Masters of Science degrees in both Engineering and Engineering Management.

Active in the community, Rob has held positions on the Boards of Directors of various organizations, including financial institutions, professional associations and civic organizations.

Gloria has been a member of Innovations Federal Credit Union (and Gulf Coast Postal Credit Union prior to its merger with Innovations) since 1999.  Before her move to Panama City, she was a member of Atlanta Postal Credit Union for 18 years.

For the past 26 years, she has worked for the United States Postal Service (USPS) and served as Postmaster for several large offices in northwest Georgia before transferring to the USPS Retail Program in Panama City.  Since her transfer, Gloria has held the position of USPS North Florida District Finance Coordinator and currently serves as the Customer Relations Coordinator for the Panama City and Bay County areas.  She is also responsible for the management and coordination of USPS related community events and media connections.

Gloria graduated from West Georgia College with a degree in Business Management.

Numerous civic and professional societies in Bay County and within the postal industry count her as an active, involved member.

Kenneth Baumann has been a member of Innovations Federal Credit Union since 1978 and has served on the Innovations FCU Board of Directors for the past 7 years, most recently in the capacity of Treasurer. 

He has worked for 20 years as a Project Engineer on large programs at CSS and was also head of the Electronic Engineering Branch. Currently, Ken serves as the Special Security Officer and the Science and Technology Intelligence Liaison Officer for NSWC-PC. He has extensive knowledge of financial systems and is experienced in operating a small business.

Ken holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Science degree in Management.

Actively involved in scouting, Ken is both a Scoutmaster and a Committee Chairman for the Boy Scouts of America.

Albert Dempsey is a retired Naval Aviator whose career spanned over 26 years of service. His work experience over those years has been exclusively in the Department of Defense, holding various positions of leadership and management while serving as a helicopter pilot. Prior to going to work for SAIC, Mr. Dempsey served as the Executive Officer of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City, from 2006-2008. He graduated from the United Sates Naval Academy with a B.A. in Political Science (1988) and from the University of San Diego School of Business with a M.S. in Global Leadership (2005).

Albert Dempsey is currently employed by SAIC, Inc., a local defense contracting firm, as the Business Development Manager. He is actively involved with many professional and civic organizations such as the Naval Helicopter Association, the American Heart Association, Bay Defense Alliance and the Bay County Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Dempsey has been a member of Innovations FCU since 1993 and credits the Credit Union with his first ?family banking? experience.

Dana Dye has worked as a full-time professor at Gulf Coast Community College since 1995. She currently teaches introductory courses in business, marketing, advertising and finance. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing from Florida State University and a Master of Science Degree in Management from Troy University. Dana has been a member of Innovations FCU since 1984.

Prior to her career in education, Dana worked in advertising and marketing. She held the position of Marketing Manager at Sun Bank?s regional office in Pensacola, FL from 1979-1984. She also has worked with advertising agencies and as an advertising consultant with WJHG-TV. Dana has been actively involved as a volunteer in the community and was awarded a Jefferson Award in 1995 for her work with the American Cancer Society.

Craig Ellis has been a member of Innovations Federal Credit Union for over 10 years.

He has 22 years’ management experience, including over 10 years with the Fortune 500 financial institution, Sallie Mae. He presently works as the Data Account Executive at Nextel’s Operations Center in Panama City Beach.

Craig served as Chief of Operations for the United States Department of Health and Human Services and managed a 16-billion dollar federal loan program while serving in that capacity. Craig also worked as the Program Manager for MicroStrategy, Inc., and managed the implementation of multi-million dollar data warehouses for Fortune 500 and Global 2000 companies, including Bank of America and Capital One.
 
Craig received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from James Madison University and has attended numerous executive development courses, including the Office of Personnel Management’s Executive Development Seminar.

In addition to serving on the Board of Innovations FCU, he sits on the Board of Directors for the St. Andrews Bay Center.  In 2003, Craig was Nextel’s Spirit Committee Chairman (managing all community events), was The United Way Chairman for Sallie Mae, and served as Co-Chairman of Leisure Services for the City of Lynn Haven.

Through the years, Craig has worked with numerous other local organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, the American Heart Association, the Children’s Miracle Network, March of Dimes, Covenant Hospice and the American Red Cross.

Darius Goodin has been a member of Innovations Federal Credit Union for the past 13 years and currently serves on the Board of Directors.

Darius has been employed at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City (NSWC) for the last 20 years.  During this time, his career has progressed from Engineering Technician to Mechanical Engineer.  In 1993, he became a Lead Engineer of several projects, eventually being promoted to his current position, Project Engineer.

In his present role, Darius serves as the Executive Agent of the Program Executive Office for Littoral and Mine Warfare (PEO LMW), where he assesses and coordinates the implementation of eBusiness solutions and critical Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) capabilities within the Mine Warfare infrastructure.  Additionally, he provides technical and program management support to Program Managers within the Mine Warfare community, supporting NAVSEA’s initiatives of surface and airborne mine countermeasures.

A mentor and leader within his community, Darius serves as Chairman of the School Enrichment Program’s Summer Partnership Employment Program, an initiative that provides outreach to the local community.  As Chairman, he is primarily responsible for all budgetary requirements of these programs, including a scholarship fund.    

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