Culminating a four-month search, the newly-formed League of Southeastern Credit Unions said it has named Patrick La Pine, head of association services for the Michigan Credit Union League, as its new president/CEO.

La Pine, executive vice president of the Michigan trade, replaces retiring CEOs Guy Hood of the Florida Credit Union League and Gary Wolter of the Alabama Credit Union League, both veteran managers slated to leave their respective organizations next month. La Pine will take over effective Aug. 3.

La Pine, who was a staffer for Michigan lawmakers before joining the Michigan League, has served as executive director of the CURE Defense Fund, formed by the Michigan group "to engage in ongoing, extraordinary defense strategies to promote the credit union movement in both the legal and legislative arenas," said a press statement.

As head of the Defense Fund, La Pine pursued an advocacy program which "promotes and advances common interests of the credit union movement," said the LSCU statement. At the Michigan League, La Pine managed a portfolio including governmental affairs, education, public affairs, information services and membership relations.

The press release also paid tribute to both Hood and Wolter with comments by Mary Wood, executive search committee chair, noting that the two "have led their respective leagues with competency and perseverance in these difficult and uncertain economic times that have hit our region particularly hard."

"At a time when fiscal responsibility has never been more critical, the two have handled the consolidation of these two strong credit union organizations with stellar leadership," she concluded.