Voting will begin on March 26 and will end on April 20.

This year there are 3 board positions to be filled; therefore, the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes will be elected to fill the terms expiring in 2020 for three years, and the candidate receiving the third highest number of votes will fill the term expiring in 2021.

Voting will begin on March 26, 2020 and will end on April 20, 2020. Elected members will be announced April 25, 2020 at our Annual Member Meeting and on our website. (Subject to change due to COVID-19 virus.)

Learn about our candidates below.

Billy Lewis

I have served in numerous military leadership positions at the company, battalion and brigade level. Completed Army service at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. I completed a successful military career which included service in Vietnam as a U.S. Marine, served as Fort Bliss Garrison Manpower Chief managing personnel positions authorized for Fort Bliss Garrison infrastructure operations. I hold a Master of Science Degree in Personnel Management from Troy State University. I also hold a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science, Chaminade University Hawaii; Trained in Army Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Executing Systems. I also trained in United States Army Finance and received training at the Army Comptroller Course, Syracuse University at Syracuse, NY. Also trained as a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt which focus on process improvement.

Carlos Guzman

I am Vice Chairman of the FirstLight Board of Directors and a member of the Asset Liability Committee. I also serve on the FirstLight FCU Foundation Board. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, an MBA and an M.A. in Computer Resources and Information Systems Management from Webster University, and a Ph.D. Applied Management and Decision Sciences, Walden University. I served in the U.S. Army from 1995 to 2005, having had experience as a Company Commander leading analytical plans, forecasts and economic evaluations. I have a background in telecommunications and computer network experience. I have undertaken numerous credit union training opportunities, having received almost every Volunteer Achievement Program Award through CUNA. I have attended numerous credit union conferences, as well as presentations on ALM, Interest Rate Risk Analysis, Liquidity stress testing, etc. I am a cofounder of Global Alternative Fuels and El Paso Brewing Company. With your vote, I look forward to continuing to serve the FirstLight Federal Credit Union membership.

Jaime Medina

With over a decade of experience in management I offer a unique blend of leadership, vision, and knowledge. I currently serve as a full-time project engineer for a primary support services contractor under the Department of Defense. I hold a Bachelor of Science Degree from UTEP and an MBA from NMSU. I devote my voluntary time supporting FirstLight Federal Credit Union by holding a position as a Supervisory Committee Member and FirstLight Community Foundation. My primary commitment is to advance and promote the overall success of FirstLight by supporting and improving the overall convenience in visiting FirstLight Federal Credit Union. I have been happily married for thirty-nine years with two sons. I have lived all my life in El Paso, Texas and am a devoted men’s ministry leader of the Del Sol Church Northeast. I enjoy believing I can play golf and I support community involvement. I always remember that no one is perfect but always forgiven.

Joshua Orozco
My name is Joshua Orozco and I am asking for your vote to be elected to FirstLight’s Board of Directors. Born and raised in Las Cruces, a graduate of NMSU with a bachelor’s and a master’s in business administration, working in economic development for the last 18 years in Santa Teresa, and starting the Santa Teresa Charitable Foundation for young students, it is my passion to grow and develop our border community. Like many others I grew frustrated with banks, so I joined FirstLight in 2011 and have been volunteering as a member of the FirstLight Supervisory Committee since 2015. Volunteering has taught me how great of a credit union FirstLight is and has given me an overwhelming sense of pride to be part of the FirstLight family. If so honored, I want to continue my service as a member of FirstLight’s board of directors. My passion is FirstLight and our community. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you.

Rafael “Ralph” Adame
I am currently the Managing General Partner of Mexus Group, LLP and the President/CEO of Mexus Communications Management, LLC, ATI Communications, Inc. LLC and RAL Investments Inc. LLC. Prior to acquiring my interest in Mexus, I was Director for Business Development of DTSI, an information technology company. My experience includes various positions in the following technology companies, local and national: Computer Technology Associates, Apple Computer, Inc., Compatible Micro Solutions, Federal Systems Group and Rio Grande ComputerLand. Positions held in the referenced technology companies exhibit increasing levels of responsibility and include such positions as Store Manager, Account Executive, Executive VP, President, CEO and Director.
I have been married to Mary Margaret Adame for almost 50 years. We are proud parents of two adult daughters and one granddaughter. I am a proud graduate of El Paso Technical High School and hold a BBA from UTEP with a focus on IT.

Ruben Garcia
I am a longtime member of FirstLight and passionate about our success. To me, that means taking care of employees and members. I feel I have contributed already serving as an Advisory Board Member at FirstLight for over a year now. I can do more but I need your vote. I bring a diverse set of skills to the table. As a Bailiff for nearly ten years I have a strong sense of duty and integrity. I often use force, logic, and compassion to treat everyone with respect and dignity. I stand up for those who can’t and encourage accountability. I have been a Realtor for thirteen years. Specializing in commercial real estate, I am very familiar with financial statements. I help clients achieve profits and avoid losses daily. I also run a digital marketing company and understand the evolution of business and where we need to go with technologies and integration tools. I look forward to serving.