SAINT JOHNS, Mich.–Journey FCU has named a new president and CEO. The $177-million CU said it has selected Jeffrey Kusler to permanently lead the organization after serving as interim CEO for four months.
According to the Michigan Credit Union League, Kusler has more than 15 years of experience in the nonprofit financial services sector and is “thrilled by the challenge of enhancing people, processes and products. Whether strategizing how to improve the productivity of his teams or identifying members’ needs to enhance their experiences, he adeptly extracts and synthesizes the necessary information to achieve more while using less.”
The Michigan Credit Union League presented Kusler with the Young Professional of the Year Award in 2020.
“From the moment Jeff joined the organization, he began to make an incredibly large impact,” said Director Roger Sosebee. “Within his first 90 days, he executed a total organizational restructuring, resulting in skyrocketing profitability and productivity. And since that time, he has grown the organization in essentially all measurable categories.”
Prior CU Experience
Prior to being officially named to the position, Kusler served as Interim CEO from May 1 to Aug. 31, 2021, and before that served as the chief lending officer and chief member experience Office at JFCU, starting in April 2019. During the time in his previous roles, he increased the overall lending portfolio by 34%, the commercial lending portfolio by over 6,500%, and led a charge to get over 10% of staff to obtain job specific, industry standard certifications, the league reported.
Before joining JFCU, Kusler served as VP-operations at CASE Credit Union, as director of regulatory affairs and compliance at MSU Federal Credit Union, as well as a number of other managerial positions at MSUFCU.
Community Involvement
Dedicated to his local and regional community, the league reported Kusler currently serves and has served on several state and local boards, commissions and committees, including the Michigan Association of United Ways, Michigan 2-1-1, Michigan Energy Options, City of East Lansing’s Planning Commission, City of East Lansing’s Downtown Development Authority, City of East Lansing’s Downtown Management Board and City of East Lansing’s Brownfield Redevelopment Authority.