Heritage Community CU Top Execs Leave in 2003, Now Searching for President

SACRAMENTO – Heritage Community Credit Union saw a number of shake-ups at the top in 2003 and is now searching for a new president. Interim President Celeste Martinez confirmed that former President/CEO Stephen Pogemiller left in November 2003 after serving in those roles since 1996. He had been with the $225 million credit union since 1989. It was Pogemiller’s choice to “pursue other business opportunities,” Martinez said. “We are in the early stages of a search for a new president,” said Martinez, who was hired in December 2003 as vice president of lending and will oversee lending and collections once Heritage hires a new president. Martinez said the credit union has hired a national search firm that has received a number of resumes. Heritage also hired Brandon Ivie last October as its new CFO, Martinez said. That role was left vacant when the predecessor left in the summer. A credit officer had previously left that spring. Martinez said that “each event had nothing to do with the other” and assured the credit union is in “good financial shape.” Chartered in 1953 to serve employees of the now-closed Mather Air Force Base, Heritage converted to a state-chartered community credit union in 1998 and also changed its name that year. Its original name was Mather Civilian Credit Union and then Mather Federal Credit Union in 1962. Heritage serves more than 30,000 members.