McDermott + Bull Recruits General Counsel for Corning Credit Union

October 15, 2026 – Irvine, CA-based McDermott + Bull has assisted in the recruitment of Rachel Carlson Toth as vice president and general counsel at Corning Credit Union. This executive search was completed by McDermott + Bull president Brandon Biegenzahn, partner Courtney Wade, and executive recruiter Ella Canning.

Ms. Toth brings more than a decade of in-house legal and business leadership experience across financial services and other highly regulated environments. Most recently, she served as deputy general counsel for Self-Help Credit Union and Self-Help Federal Credit Union, where she advised two affiliated credit unions operating across 12 states.

Previously, Ms. Toth spent nearly a decade with Zealandia Holding Company, advancing through legal and operational leadership roles, including associate general counsel, chief operating officer, and compliance and corporate counsel. Her experience spans mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring, contract negotiation, governance, compliance, and legal operations, providing her with a broad business perspective alongside her legal expertise.

“I’m really looking forward to bringing all my knowledge and skills to Corning Credit Union and continuing to grow,” Ms. Toth said in a LinkedIn post.

Founded in 1936, Corning Credit Union is a member-owned financial institution serving more than 160,000 members worldwide, with $2.7 billion in assets and locations across New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. Its membership includes more than 1,700 employer groups, associations, and businesses, reflecting its commitment to serving diverse communities.

McDermott + Bull provides mission-critical permanent executive placement and interim solutions for a range of domestic and global clients. The firm serves private and public companies, private equity firms and their operating companies across multiple industries, including technology, financial services, biotech and life sciences, and professional services.

Mr. Biegenzahn holds dual roles as president of McDermott + Bull and chair of the firm’s financial services practice group. As president, he leads day-to-day operations as well as the strategic buildout of the team of executive search managing directors. As chair of the financial services practice group, Mr. Biegenzahn is a partner to an array of financial services firms, including investment banks, commercial banks, private banks, credit unions, asset managers, institutional investors and fintech companies.

Ms. Wade serves as a partner at McDermott + Bull and co-leads the firm’s financial services practice, based in Irvine, CA. In this role, she leads talent assessment, execution strategy, and overall practice operations. With over a decade of experience in executive search and recruiting, Ms. Wade brings a relationship-driven and execution-focused approach to helping financial institutions attract and retain transformative leadership. She has partnered with a wide range of organizations, including commercial banks, credit unions, investment managers, private banks, institutional investors, and fintech firms, to fill critical leadership roles from VP to C-suite.

Ms. Canning serves as an executive recruiter for McDermott + Bull, where she delivers a seamless experience for both clients and candidates. She supports searches across industries and ensures high-quality execution at every stage of the recruitment process. Before joining McDermott + Bull, Ms. Canning spent three years in London as an Executive Recruiter specializing in private equity-backed businesses.

JenaValve Technology Search

McDermott + Bull also recently placed Edward Sarnowski as chief technology officer of JenaValve Technology, Inc. in Irvine, CA. The search was completed by partner Ken Dropiewski, and executive recruiter Michael Matranga.

“Ed’s appointment marks an important step in the evolution of JenaValve as a company,” said John Kilcoyne, CEO of JenaValve. “With FDA approval now behind us and the U.S. commercial launch underway, we are entering a new phase of growth that demands R&D leadership of the highest caliber. Ed’s deep experience building and scaling global R&D organizations, delivering complex transcatheter programs from concept to commercialization, and navigating the regulatory rigor required in structural heart makes him exactly the right person to lead our technology organization. I am confident that under his leadership, we will continue to advance the science of TAVR for AR.”

Mr. Sarnowski brings more than 20 years of medical device R&D leadership experience, with deep expertise in structural heart and transcatheter valve technologies. In this role, he will be instrumental in advancing JenaValve’s key innovation initiatives and expanding the Trilogy platform’s capabilities to safely and effectively serve the broadest possible population of patients suffering from aortic regurgitation.

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media

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