WACO, Texas–– Gary Parker, who spent his entire half-century career in the credit union industry, has retired as president and CEO of 1st University Credit Union. The credit union told CUToday.info a successor has been named and will be announced in a few days.
Parker retired after 27 years of leading 1st University.
“His prestigious credit union career began in 1975 when at 20 years old he became the youngest leader of a credit union in the state of Oklahoma, taking the helm at Bison Federal Credit Union in Shawnee,” the credit union said of the CU that was affiliated with Oklahoma Baptist University.
Parker had previously been a working volunteer for a while at Bison FCU when he was asked to step into the top position after his mentor’s death.
Parker spent nearly 14 years at Bison FCU, followed by several years at First Family Federal Credit Union in Henrietta, Okla. In 1996 he was asked to fill in temporarily as head of Baylor University Employees Credit Union, which later became 1st University.
“With Gary as president and CEO, 1st University has grown enormously and has become a leader in the community,” said Chairman Randy Wood in a statement. “Gary always kept the ship moving forward and we will miss him tremendously.”
Major Achievements
The credit union said Parker was been recognized for several major achievements over the course of his career, including:
- Founding the popular Lending and Collections Conference, managed annually by Cornerstone Credit Union League
- Serving for many years on the league’s Lending and Collections Council Executive Committee. In 2021 the Lending and Collections Council established an annual scholarship for the conference in Parker’s name
- Serving on the board of directors of the Texas Credit Union League
- Being asked by NCUA to be part of a panel addressing the future of corporate credit unions following the collapse of the corporate system in 2009
- Being named Alumnus of the Year in 2018 for the CUNA Management School for his contributions to the industry since his graduation in 1980 from the management school
- Chairing a CUNA Council for small credit unions, which led to his participation in a U.S. Treasury panel focused on credit union legislation during the Trump administration
- Winning the Cornerstone League’s Achiever’s Award in 2005 in recognition of his efforts assisting and mentoring other credit unions
Retirement Plans
The $16.7-milllion 1st University said Parker’s retirement goals include travel, particularly to all the national parks in the U.S. The credit union has approximately 1,500 members