GARLAND, Texas–Joe Wasaff had always said he would announce his retirement as CEO on the day he planned to leave—and he did so, announcing he was stepping down and then leaving the credit union for good later in the day.
Wasaff, 78, had been CEO at America’s Credit Union here for the past 25 years. According to the Cornerstone CU League, Wasaff announced to his staff…he was retiring that day, and, as vowed, he had packed and left…”
Wasaff has been succeeded as president and CEO by Rebecca McCoy, who had been SVP strategic development at ACU since 2009.
In all, Wasaff’s involvement in credit unions lasted more than 45 years.
"Joe’s legacy with credit unions dates back to 1970, when he took over leadership of the Human Resource Development Department at the Texas Credit Union League,” McCoy was quoted by the Cornerstone CU League as saying. “During that time, he was known nationally for his innovative and future-oriented thinking, particularly in areas related to training in the then-new science of asset liability management. He also was instrumental in founding the Southwest CUNA Management School and was responsible for the education and development of many of the state’s leaders and retired leaders.
Wasaff left the Texas Credit Union League in 1990 to work with credit unions as a consultant in strategic planning, before joining the Kraft Employees Credit Union, which is now America’s Credit Union. He became president when Fern Cook retired.
During his career Wasaff oversaw growth from $40-million in assets at ACU to $235 million.
Wasaff will remain treasurer on the America's Credit Union board.