Cindy Prestandrea, CEO of the $131 million, 16,500-member Prince George's Community Federal Credit Union in Bowie, Md., will retire from her current post on Friday, but it's not the end of her life, she said.
“I'm not dying, I'm just retiring,” she said laughing. “I've been in this business for 40 years, I think I can stop now.”
Prestandrea has been the CEO at the Maryland credit union since 1995 and will help her successor – who has yet to be named – ease into the job by consulting and being on call until the end of the year.
Prestandrea began her career with credit unions at the Navy Federal Credit Union in 1972 and worked an entry level position on the Navy base in an old warehouse that was also home to a few rats.
“We rode the freight elevator to work and part of the time I worked on an old switchboard,” she said. “Thinking back it sure seems like a long time ago.”
At PGCFCU, Prestandrea oversaw changes in the credit union's charter that allowed it to change its name and aggressively pursue more business and individual members in Prince George's County.
She also was responsible for implementing a required, eight-week training course for all staff which focuses on meeting customer needs. She also structured an incentive package that rewards employees for cross-selling credit union services.
A graduate of the CUNA Management School, Prestandrea has served on several credit unions boards, including MACUMA and the CUNA Awards Committee. She has also been chapter director of MDDCCUA' Suburban Maryland Chapter and was named the 2008 MDDCCUA Professional of the Year.
“I am looking forward to spending time with my grandchildren and my husband,” she said. “ I loved my time helping other people and that's what I love about this business. I think I'll travel some but I'll always be a part of the credit union industry in some way.”
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