RIVERSIDE, Calif.– The board at Altura Credit Union has honored retiring CEO Mark Hawkins by renaming the CU’s headquarters the “Mark W. Hawkins Operations Center.”
A scholarship fund underwritten by the credit union has also been renamed in honor of Hawkins.
Hawkins, who served as CEO for 29 years prior to retiring, has been succeeded by Jennifer Binkley.
Riverside Mayor Rusty Bailey presented Hawkins with a city proclamation that cited Hawkins’ “inspiration to his colleagues, staff, board members, and to the many people who have benefitted from his service, we present these honors to you.” Representatives from the offices of State Senator Richard D. Roth and Assembly Member Jose Medina also were on hand.
The headquarters building was previously known as the Operations and Technology Center, which was abbreviated as the “OTC.” With the new acronym “HOC,” Binkley told the gathered crowd that the building will now be called the “Hawk.”
A plaque dedicating the building was also presented by the board. It reads: “This building is dedicated in honor of Mark W. Hawkins, Altura Credit Union’s President and Chief Executive Officer from February 1988 to February 2017, in recognition of his 29 years of leadership and service to the credit union, the greater Riverside Community and the credit union movement.” It listed the current board of directors, as well as the names of former board members who served with Hawkins.
Altura also hosted a “Thank You” reception at the Riverside Convention Center for Hawkins featuring remarks from board President Ofelia Valdez-Yeager and new CEO Binkley. Other speakers included past board members, family members, community leaders and colleagues, as well as a video that featured current and former Altura employees.
At the reception, Valdez-Yeager announced that the board changed the name of the Altura College Scholarship Foundation to the Mark W. Hawkins Scholarship Foundation. Since 1993, the foundation has awarded more than $500,000 to local high school seniors.