Community First Credit Union Appoints New C-Suite Leaders
Credit Union Names CFO and COO to its Senior Team
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., April 16, 2025 – Community First Credit Union, one of Florida’s largest credit unions with headquarters in Downtown Jacksonville, announces it has appointed a new CFO and COO. Kim Gamez is the organization’s new CFO succeeding D. Sam Inman, and Melissa Thomas has been promoted to COO, a new role for the organization.
Kim Gamez, CPA, CGMA joins Community First as CFO after Inman was selected as CEO in 2024. She has more than 30 years of experience in finance and 10 years of experience in leading finance departments at large credit unions. In her new role at Community First she will work closely with the leadership team to build on the foundation of financial stability while planning for the credit union’s forecasted growth.
Gamez earned an MBA and bachelor’s degree at Texas State University. She is a certified public accountant and a certified global management accountant. She is a graduate of Dell Technology’s prestigious Finance Rotation Program which she completed while serving in several key leadership roles at the company.
Thomas has more than 30 years of experience in credit union industry while serving in various leadership roles throughout her career. Most recently, she served as senior vice president of payments and operations at Community First Credit Union. In her new role, she manages the credit union’s strategy, payment and digital strategies, enterprise project management and all its operations.
She is a leader in the credit union movement and currently services on the board of ePayResources. Thomas earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management at St. Leo University.
“We are pleased to welcome Kim and Melissa to the senior team leading Community First into our bold future,” said D. Sam Inman, president and CEO. “Our growth plans depend on strong leaders who can build on our past success while thinking critically to innovate for the future of all our members.”
Celebrating 90 years of service in 2025, Community First Credit Union of Florida is a state-chartered credit union based in Jacksonville serving anyone who lives or works on the First Coast. Community First is one of the largest credit unions in Florida with $2.8 billion in assets and serving 180,000 members. Community First has 23 locations and more than 450 employees. A not-for-profit, Community First is a full-service financial institution offering banking, loans, mortgages and investments for consumers and businesses across the First Coast. For more, visit www.communityfirstfl.org.
