Award honors strategic excellence in communication

 
SAN DIEGO, Calif., (May 28, 2021) -- San Diego County Credit Union® (SDCCU®), one of California’s largest locally-owned financial institutions, is proud to announce that SDCCU SVP of Business Development and Community Relations, Sarah Bilyeu, was named the 2021 IABC/San Diego Communicator of the Year. The award recognizes local leaders who demonstrate strategic excellence in communication, and lead the way with their contributions and high quality work.
 
Bilyeu was selected for her exceptional leadership, demonstrated strategic communication and passion for her work which has had a significant impact at SDCCU. In her time with the credit union, she has been instrumental in expanding the community relations, public relations and business development activities to help elevate awareness of SDCCU and contribute to the organization’s success. The credit union has grown to over $10 billion in assets and reached over 426,000 members; both of which have nearly doubled during her time at SDCCU. Bilyeu’s leadership has greatly contributed to SDCCU’s growth and success which includes propelling SDCCU’s position to a top credit union in the nation and being voted BEST Credit Union for the 21st consecutive year and for the 11th year in a row: BEST Financial Planning and BEST Mortgage Home Loan Provider and BEST Auto Loan Provider, as well as BEST Place to Work for the 7th year in The San Diego Union-Tribune Readers Poll.
 
“We are incredibly proud that Sarah was selected for this well-deserved honor,” said SDCCU President and CEO Teresa Campbell. “Over the past eight years, Sarah has made an extremely positive impact at SDCCU through her strategic vision, relationship building and ability to elevate awareness of SDCCU through public relations and marketing communications. Her pride and passion for her work is evident, and there’s no doubt that she truly deserves this recognition.”
 
Bilyeu joined SDCCU in 2013, bringing with her nearly a decade of experience in communications. Before joining SDCCU, Sarah served on the public relations and corporate communications team at Bridgepoint Education where she developed and managed multiple complex internal and external communications initiatives to support key business goals to ensure message consistency, increase brand awareness and enhance the organization’s reputation. Bilyeu also worked on the corporate communications team at The UPS Store and served as editor, producer and reporter for KOGO AM 600 in San Diego.
 
Bilyeu earned her master’s degree in Marketing from Ashford University and her bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Political Science from San Diego State University. Throughout her career, she has been selected for a number of honors including being recognized with a 2013 IABC Gold Quill for Brand Advertising Marketing Campaign, Internal Communications Strategy for Ashford University, one of Bridgepoint’s subsidiaries. She was also recognized in 2017 by San Diego Metro with a 40 Under 40 award and her work has been acknowledged with many awards including: 2020 and 2018 MarCom Award for SDCCU Stuff the Bus, 2019 Community Business Leader Award by Orange County LGBT Pride, Orange County Business Journal and OneOC’s 2019 Orange County, The Civic 50, 2018 Spirit of Stonewall Awards by San Diego LGBT Pride, 2018 North San Diego Business Chamber Award and MAC (Marketing Association of Credit Unions) awards for SDCCU Stuff the Bus, an annual campaign that provides school supplies to students in need.
 
SDCCU is one of the nation’s top credit unions, proudly serving the financial needs of customers in Southern California counties including Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura. SDCCU has assets of $10.2 billion, more than 426,000 customers, over 40 convenient branch locations and 30,000 surcharge-FREE ATMs. SDCCU provides breakthrough banking products that meet the demands of today’s lifestyle and delivers banking services that save customers money. SDCCU is leading the way, offering FREE Checking with eStatements, SDCCU mobile banking, mortgage loans, auto loans, Visa® credit cards and business banking services. Federally insured by NCUA. Equal Housing Opportunity. For more information, visit www.sdccu.com.