EDGEWOOD, Md.–After 45 years of service to the credit union, Don W. Lewis, CEO of APG FCU has retired. Chuck Kelly, who has been serving as interim president, will remain in that role as a search is conducted for a successor, the credit union said on its website.
“Don has made a profound impact on APGFCU, its membership, and the community,” Board Chair Donald J. Burnett, COL (Ret.) said in a statement. “He leaves a foundational legacy for all of us to carry forward, a legacy that is deeply intertwined with the very fabric of our credit union.”
‘Increasing Responsibility’
Lewis began his career at APGFCU in 1979, working in credit operations, when the credit union served 28,000 members via two branches and had approximately $74 million in assets.
“He went on to hold positions of increasing responsibility, ultimately becoming the credit union’s second CEO in January 1995, when the credit union served approximately 64,000 members via four branches and had nearly $273 million in assets,” APGFCU said in its statement. “Under his visionary leadership, the credit union has flourished, now serving more than 160,000 members via 15 branches, a call center and remote services, with nearly $2.4 billion in assets.”
APGFCU said that during his nearly 30 years as CEO, “Lewis’ vision has led the credit union in creating opportunities for continuous growth, extending the credit union’s reach to provide members with the ability to protect and grow their wealth.”
The credit union’s field of membership expanded in 2003 to include all of Harford and Cecil counties. In 2022, it expanded its FOM to include Baltimore County and Baltimore City, creating long-term opportunities for growth and prosperity.
‘Generational Wealth Building’
“Many of the programs APGFCU offers today were born from Lewis’ vision for the credit union and its mission of generational wealth-building,” APGFCU said, citing financial education, youth programs, educational branches at Edgewood High School and Cecil College, and Credit Builder loan programs.
Lewis was also active on the board of directors for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford and Cecil Counties.
Other Career Accomplishments
During his career, Lewis also:
- Testified before the U.S. House Banking Committee in 1998 in support of H.R. 1151, The Credit Union Membership Access Act.
- Was inducted into the African American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC) Hall of Fame in 2018.
- Was named to The Daily Record’s Power 30 Banking & Financial Services list of prominent leaders in Maryland in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Interim CEO Named
APGFCU said Chuck Kelly will remain interim CEO, a position to which the board appointed him in January 2024. Kelly joined the credit union’s executive team in 2017 as chief financial officer and was promoted to executive vice president in January 2023. He worked closely with Lewis and has been responsible for many of the credit union’s functional areas, including accounting and finance, operations, lending, and marketing. Before his career at APGFCU,
Kelly spent nearly 15 years consulting with credit unions as a senior audit manager with CliftonLarsonAllen LLP (CLA). He earned a Master of Accounting and Information Systems from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
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