Carol Manzanares, Vice President of Human Resources
“My job is to enable people to be their very best.” That’s the goal of Sunward’s new Vice President of Human Resources, Carol Manzanares. Carol joined the Credit Union in mid-September 2021, and by all accounts, has hit the ground running. She kicked off her time at the CU by conducting a listening tour with her fellow Sunward leaders and partnering with her new HR team to identify potential gaps and opportunities. “This is such a warm and welcoming environment,” notes Carol. “I have felt comfortable from day one, which makes a difference as I begin collaborating with all of the different teams here at Sunward.”
After a long career in HR at Sandia National Laboratories, Carol was ready for a new challenge. “I had just celebrated my 30th anniversary at Sandia when the Sunward opportunity came up. I certainly had no intention to just take any old job, or maybe any other job. Frankly, I loved working for Sandia. However, as I was familiar with the Credit Union and its values were in alignment with my own, it was an interesting opportunity to consider."
As an Sunward member for more than three decades, Carol was already aware of the many benefits the Credit Union offers. “I joined Sunward as a brand-new Labs employee a long time ago,” she laughs. “At new hire orientation, Sunward sounded pretty good and has certainly proved to be an important resource to my family and me.” Carol notes that it’s been fun to watch the Credit Union grow over the years, adding more products, services, and branches. “For years, I only visited the Kirtland branch on base. I was so excited when a Westside location was added, making it easy for me to conduct business on Saturday, too.”
As a native New Mexican, Carol and her family enjoy traveling and camping, along with many other outdoor activities. She has two adult children, and her husband is the women’s volleyball coach at Rio Rancho High School. As for her next steps, Carol is ready to get started in her new role in HR. “I am excited to make a difference and am committed to elevating the HR services at Sunward.”
