PHOENIX — With a recruitment search under way, the Arizona Credit Union System said last week it could hire a new president/CEO replacing its retiring veteran manager Gary L. Plank within two months.

“We're looking forward to honoring Gary at our annual convention in June and we're hopeful we can introduce a new CEO by then,” declared Linda Dhaemers, Arizona CU System chairman and president/CEO of Desert Energy Credit Union of Tucson. Plank, 65, who has served the industry 42 years managing state leagues and is the current chairman of the World Council of Credit Unions, announced last fall his retirement from the Arizona CU System effective June 30. His WOCCU term ends in July. Hired to find Plank's replacement, said Dhaemers, is O'Rourke Career Connections of Brisbane, Calif., which together with league committees, has been conducting the search. “We are in the midst of our interview process now but we have nothing to announce just yet,” said Dhaemers. In February during CUNA's GAC, Plank was given one of the industry's highest honors, the Eugene Farley Award, recognizing a CU professional's “outstanding efforts in national credit union development.” Plank, in his 10th year as president and CEO of the Arizona Credit Union System, was nominated, in part, for helping develop the system's successful indirect lending program with auto dealers. He was also recognized for building a strong advocacy program, collaborating with area leagues on various programs, establishing a new Phoenix headquarters for the league, and for being a leader in CU philanthropy. Plank previously worked in senior management jobs for leagues in South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota before moving to Arizona. Officials said Plank would receive a special honor at a dinner gala June 1 during the league's annual convention May 31-June 2 at the Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix. –[email protected]