Callahan & Associates has named Omaha businessman Sean Hession as the new president/CEO of the analytical services and data provider to the credit union industry and said it is “transitioning ownership of the company to its management team.”

Hession served 10 years in series of staff and operational roles at First National Bank of Omaha, Callahan said Monday in a statement, and co-founded a healthcare transaction processing firm that grew from a startup to a $40 million corporation in five years.

Hession, who has more than 30 years of general management experience, also was responsible for the strategic planning and daily operations of a vendor that served credit unions and community banks, Callahan said.

The executive team also includes Jay Johnson, executive vice president; Alix Patterson, chief operating officer; Jon Jeffreys, vice president of financial services, and Scott Patterson, vice president of new business innovation, the company said.

“As the recession's impact recedes, now is the time to invest for a more cooperative future,” Hession said. “The board … senior management … the entire Callahan team … we are all excited about the opportunities 2012 will bring for credit unions and Callahan.”

Hession fills the CEO role formerly held by Chip Filson, who the company said will concentrate on cooperative initiatives and advocating for the credit union system.

“Sustaining the innovative ingenuity of the credit union system is essential to enhance the well-being of its member-owners,” Filson said. “That effort is never-ending.”

The statement also said that Callahan's Board of Directors “will enhance its strategic direction and oversight of the firm's many offerings.”

Members include Ron Daly, president of DigitalMailer in Herndon, Va.; Doug Fecher, CEO of the $2.2 billion Wright-Patt Credit Union in Fairborn, Ohio; Randy Karnes, CEO of CU*Answers in Grand Rapids, Mich., and retired business executive Bob Minor.