In an unusual move, the Heartland Credit Union Association board of directors hired an outsider to lead its 192 affiliated Kansas and Missouri credit unions into a new and uncertain future.

Although Brad Douglas, 54, does not hold any professional credit union experience, he served for 10 years on the board of directors for the 198,536-member CommunityAmerica Credit Union in Lexana, Kan.

Serving as chair from 2011 to 2015, Douglas transformed the board's role to one that was strategic and proactive, and would help the credit union's talented management team achieve its goals. Under the leadership of the board and the executive team, CACU grew its assets from $1.8 billion to $2.1 billion and its net income jumped from $10.9 million to $18.4 million from 2011 to 2015.

While serving on the board, Douglas became hooked on the credit union movement and developed a passion for it, which led him to become the first president/CEO of the Heartland association that officially opened in January.

“When I joined the board, I really didn't know what a credit union actually was, and I told them that they obviously weren't recruiting me because I'm so knowledgeable about financial services in the credit union industry,” Douglas recalled. “And they laughed.”

Rather, the board recruited Douglas because of his deep connections in the local, regional and national business community, as well as his governmental affairs background.

“I absolutely fell in love with credit unions and started throwing myself into the industry to learn more about it and become part of it,” he said. “I think that the co-op business model for financial services is a tremendous model. I think that it has long-term viability. I love the fact that credit unions are about helping people. That's what gets me up in the morning. I want to go have a positive impact on people's lives. And now I get to go to work in an industry where that's the culture.”

In addition to his extensive business development experience in the profit and non-profit realms, Douglas also spent years working for state and federal governments. He served as the budget committee counsel for the late U.S. Senator Paul Simon of Illinois, and was director for the state of Missouri office in Washington. He also worked in congressional and administrative positions for the U.S. Small Business Administration.

His most recent position was as vice president of business development and retirement plan consultant for the Alliance Benefit Group of Kansas City, which he joined in 2007. He was responsible for overseeing national sales, marketing and business development.

Douglas, whose first day on the job was April 1, took some time out of his blazingly busy schedule to talk about how the skills, talents and experience he honed from the worlds of business, law, government and politics will help him lead and grow the Heartland association, its credit unions and the movement. The interview will be published in the May 4, 2016 print issue of Credit Union Times.