Each month American Canyon Community and Parks Foundation is featuring someone instrumental in our success who, in their own unique way contributes greatly to our programs and to the American Canyon community. One such standout is Gladys Milligan, Branch Manager at Redwood Credit Union. She also serves on the ACCPF Board of Directors as Treasurer, a position she has held for two years. Gladys is from northern California, born and raised in the small town of Winters. After she graduated high school there, she attended Sacramento State University where she majored in Business Administration and received her degree in 2004.

Gladys has been in banking virtually her entire professional career. Right out of college, she went to work at Washington Mutual and stayed there after Chase acquired Washington Mutual. Five years later Gladys left Chase to manage Travis Credit Union’s branch in Vacaville and was there three years. Most recently, she came to American Canyon in January, 2019, to open Redwood Credit Union’s offices here later that year.

“Shortly after starting at Washington Mutual, I realized I wanted to be in banking to provide services that people need,” says Gladys. “I love helping people achieve their financial dreams,” she adds.Her various positions have taken Gladys throughout northern California, including stops in Davis, Alamo, Eureka, Rosemond, Scotts Valley, Vacaville and Woodland before coming to American Canyon. When asked about American Canyon, without hesitation, Gladys replies, “I love it here.”

family hiking

Under Gladys’s leadership, Redwood Credit Union (RCU) quickly became well known in American Canyon. In her time at RCU, it has supported many local events including ACCPF’s “Evening at the Ruins,” and it recently agreed to underwrite ACCPF’s newly-created and soon-to-be-rolled-out, “Story Walk” program, which will be located at various sites around American Canyon. Most recently, with Gladys’s encouragement and support, RCU has also agreed to sponsor this year’s Reindeer Run/Walk—a well-established, popular event, hosted by ACCPF and the KHOPE Foundation and held in early December. When she’s not helping banking clients, Gladys serves as Treasurer of ACCPF, bringing her vast financial experience and expertise to the Board, a position she has held for two years. She manages, produces and presents the monthly financial reports as well as offering financial counseling when needed.

Gladys currently lives with her family in Woodland near Davis. She is married to Rex, himself an interesting study in education, and they have two children—a son, Damian, 12, and a daughter, Ayla, 8. She first met Rex, who received his undergraduate degree in Biology at Humboldt State in Arcata, at her cousin’s wedding in 2000. As Gladys explains, fresh out of college, Rex’s father helped him get a temporary job teaching kindergarten and, through that, Rex decided to become a teacher. He received his Master’s degree in Education Administration from Sacramento State and shortly after took a position at Will C. Wood High School in Vacaville where he taught for four years. He then became Vice Principal at Gladys’s old high school in Winters, and was in that role two years, before becoming the Education Coordinator at the California State Prison-Solano in Vacaville, his current position. Their son, Damian, is in 6th grade, loves mountain biking, basketball and swims. Daughter Ayla, 8, is a third grader in Woodland and plays soccer, softball and also swims. When she’s not serving the financial needs of clients, Gladys, and the family enjoy hiking, going to the beach and biking. (They had just finished biking part of the American River Parkway in Sacramento a few days before this interview.)

Asked why she supports ACCPF, Gladys is quick to say, “I love everything ACCPF stands for and does.

“Being involved in this community and doing things that are non-banking is so much fun and I just find it extremely rewarding. And Redwood Credit Union not only allows me to serve in the community, it encourages me to.”

How long does Gladys plan on staying on the ACCPF board? Gladys said simply “I plan to stay as long as the bylaws allow!”