COLUMBUS, Ohio—Corporate One Federal Credit Union has announced a new president and CEO. Melissa A. Ashley has been named to lead the organization, succeeding the retiring Lee C. Butke.
Butke will support an effective and orderly transition as consultant to the board of Corporate One in the coming months, the organization said.
Ashley has been with Corporate One for nearly two decades, joining the company in 1999 after a tenure at a Big Four accounting firm. While at the corporate she has held positions of increasing responsibility, including most recently as executive vice president and CFO. Ashley is a CPA and serves on the board of directors of four of Corporate One’s credit union service organizations.
“As one of Corporate One’s longest serving executives, Ms. Ashley, played a key role in setting the strategic vision and tone of Corporate One over the course of 19 years – which included significant economic and operational challenges, mitigating and managing risks as the CFO, and leading internal and external teams to support the advancement of technological and process objectives for Corporate One,” the corporate said.
‘Thrilled at Opportunity’
“I am thrilled at the opportunity to serve Corporate One’s nearly 800 members, along with the hundreds of other credit unions served through Corporate One’s CUSOs,” Ashley said. “As I expressed to the board, I am looking forward to working with them to drive a shared vision for Corporate One that continues its tradition of partnering with credit unions – helping them to succeed and creating new ways to drive value for them and for their members. I am honored and excited to have been asked to lead an institution in whose mission I so strongly believe, and in whose goals and success I have invested nearly two decades of my professional life.”
Ashley said her immediate priorities as president/CEO will be to build on Corporate One’s solid reputation for excellent service, financial strength and offering innovative products and services.
“We are committed to providing essential investment, funding and payment services, and to developing leading-edge services that help our members address the disruptors of today’s environment such that they continue to grow and meet their members’ evolving needs,” she said.
Extensive Search
“The board of directors conducted an extensive nationwide search for a new president/CEO, and we are certain and thrilled we have selected the best candidate from the myriad applications and resumes we reviewed,” said Chris Rutledge, president/CEO of Gulf Winds Federal Credit Union in Pensacola, Fla., and chairman of Corporate One’s CEO search committee. “I agree wholeheartedly with Lee Powell in expressing our complete confidence in Ms. Ashley as Corporate One’s new president/CEO. We know Melissa and her track record, and we look forward to working with her to continue Corporate One’s leadership role in serving credit unions through the traditional service channels of payment, investments and funding, but also to lead us as we seek new ways to serve credit unions for the future.”
The $3.4-billion Corporate One FCU serves nearly 800 credit unions nationally.