TDECU Names Dell Executive Lavonne as First Woman Board Chair

TDECU has named attorney and Dell Technologies executive Lavonne Burke as the new chair of its board of directors, marking a historic first for the Houston-area credit union. Lavonne is the first woman to lead the board in TDECU’s 71-year history.

Having joined the board in 2023, Lavonne brings a diverse background in technology, law and corporate governance to the role. Her appointment comes as TDECU continues to strengthen its digital operations and address the growing importance of cyber security, privacy and data governance in the financial services sector.

Lavonne serves as a vice president at Dell Technologies, where her expertise includes cyber security, data protection, IT governance and intellectual property. Her experience is expected to provide valuable board-level insight as TDECU advances its digital strategy and strengthens its technology and risk management capabilities.

“I’ve had the privilege of working with Lavonne for several years, and I’ve valued her leadership and strategic perspective,” TDECU President and CEO Isaac Johnson said. “As Chair, Lavonne will play a key role in guiding our board and supporting TDECU’s continued innovation and long-term value for our Members.”

For credit unions and other financial institutions, technology strategy has become closely connected with governance. Digital account access and other technology-driven services can improve efficiency and member experience, but they also increase the importance of protecting customer information, managing technology vendors and maintaining appropriate cyber security controls.

Key Highlights:

• Lavonne becomes the first woman to chair TDECU’s board in its 71-year history
• Sandra Pineau-Boddison is elected board secretary, bringing experience in customer strategy and digital services
• Manolo Sánchez joins the board, adding expertise in banking, fintech and corporate governance

Lavonne’s combination of legal and technology experience gives the board perspective across those interconnected responsibilities as TDECU plans for longer-term growth.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Howard University, a master’s degree in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University and a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center.

TDECU also made two additional board appointments, adding experience in customer strategy, financial services, fintech and corporate governance.

Sandra Pineau-Boddison has been elected board secretary. She brings more than 35 years of experience across customer service, digital strategy and product marketing and previously served as senior vice president of customers at United Airlines.

Pineau-Boddison's role at United was to overlook the entire customer travel experience and build brand loyalty programs. She presently works as partner and managing director of The Hayward Partnership, and is the CEO and founder of SPB Consulting LLC.

Her work in customer experience brings further insights to TDECU on how to interact with consumers to influence their relationships, both online and offline. This is a task that demands coordination of technology platforms, service operations and loyalty strategies and is becoming more complex for financial institutions, as the single touch point is no longer the focus of the conversation.

Pineau-Boddison is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach, where she earned an MBA and Texas State University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in marketing. She has been awarded honorary doctor of Science degrees from both the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers and the American Institute of Nutrition. Manolo Sánchez has also been appointed to the TDECU board, where he will add his expertise in banking, financial technology and public-company governance.

The appointments expand TDECU's board operating experience in a number of areas relevant to TDECU's business such as banking, technology, cyber security, digital customer experience and governance.

The leadership hitches are a by-product of financial institutions trying to grow and meet more sophisticated technology and risk-management demands. Lavonne's election brings a technology and legal executive to the board, and Pineau-Boddison and Sánchez bring consumer and financial-services skills that can help with the credit union's next steps in its growth.