WATERLOO, Iowa–Monte Berg, president and CEO of Veridian Credit Union here, has announced his plans to retire. Selected to succeed Berg in leading the organization is Renee Christoffer, who is currently chief administration officer.
Berg has been with the credit union for 30 years, joining what was then called John Deere Community Credit Union in 1990 as the senior vice president of finance. He served in that position for 25 years until becoming president and CEO in 2015. During his career, membership in the credit union grew to 244,000 from 40,000.
“While I couldn’t have predicted that this transition would take place during such a historic time, the decision is rooted in many months of thoughtful consideration and years of succession planning,” said Berg. “Anyone who’s worked closely with Renee knows her to be a smart, driven and compassionate leader. I know there’s no one better-suited to lead our credit union through the challenges and opportunities of our current time and well into the future.”
Began as Co-Op Student
Christoffer joined the credit union as a co-op student in 1993 and stayed to become a teller the next year. Over the following decade, she served as a loan officer, branch manager and regional manager until becoming senior vice president of retail in 2004. She’s served in her current role as chief administration officer since 2007, Veridian said.
“Monte has been an invaluable mentor for much of my professional life. It’s difficult to express how fortunate and grateful I am for that experience,” Christoffer said. “Thanks to his leadership, Veridian is well-equipped to serve our members through times of uncertainty and into their successful financial futures.”