CINCINNATI, Ohio—Two long-time credit union CEOs have announced plans to retire.
At Kemba Credit Union here, President/CEO Stephen Behler said he retire in the first quarter of 2018 after nearly 40 years with the credit union. COO Dan Sutton has been named to succeed Behler.
Behler was named president/CEO in 2002 and under his leadership the institution has grown from $200 million in assets to approximately $800 million and nearly 90,000 members.
During his career, Behler has held leadership roles in CUs that have included chairman of the Ohio Credit Union League board, served as a board member for both CUNA and NASCUS, having been appointed to the Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council for the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. Behler currently sits on the Cincinnati Firefighter Foundation Board and the Adopt a Class Foundation Board.
Meanwhile, in Dallas, one of the few people to ever serve as a league president before becoming a credit union CEO, John Lederer, the long-time leader of the $1.3-billion Credit Union of Texas, announced he will retire effective Sept. 30, 2017. Eric Pointer, currently president of Credit Union of Texas, has been named as Lederer’s successor and will take over the role of president and CEO on June 1
Lederer joined Credit Union of Texas in February 1996 as its general counsel, was appointed as interim CEO in January 2006, and named permanently to the post in September 2007. “Mr. Lederer was at the helm for many years, some of them quite challenging for the credit union,” said Ada Williams, chair of the CUTX board. “We cannot thank him enough for his years of service to us and our members. We congratulate him on his retirement and hope there are many rounds of golf in front of him.”
Lederer has spent almost 40 years in the credit union industry. He joined what was then known as the Texas Credit Union League in 1978 where he held various positions, including president and CEO, before his tenure at CUTX.
“I have been fortunate to spend so much of my career in support of the credit union movement,” said Lederer. “Throughout the years, I have witnessed the cooperative model of credit unions working to truly improve the lives of many, many people. Credit Union of Texas embodies the credit union mission of people helping people, and I could not be prouder to have been a part of the organization for so many years.”
In a statement, Lederer said he especially enjoyed his extensive involvement in the legislative and regulatory areas.
“I have worked diligently to try to make a positive impact on the laws and regulations affecting credit unions, which I hope will benefit credit unions for years to come,” he said.
Eric Pointer, current CUTX president, has been named as Lederer’s successor and will take over the role of president and CEO on June 1.
“Mr. Lederer is leaving the credit union in very capable hands,” added. Williams.
Pointer has been president of Credit Union of Texas since January 2016, and executive vice president of the credit union since 2014. Lederer will serve in a consulting capacity to the Credit Union after June 1 until his retirement
Credit Union of Texas has more than 134,000 members in Dallas, Collin, Rockwall, Denton, and parts of Grayson, Fannin, Ellis and Tarrant counties, Texas.