NASCUS Appoints Brian Knight President & CEO
Knight takes over for Lucy Ito who announced her retirement earlier this year.
The National Association of State Credit Union Supervisors said current Executive Vice President and General Counsel Brian Knight has been named the next president/CEO of the organization, effective Jan. 1, 2022.
Many in the credit union industry awaited the announcement Wednesday by NASCUS after Lucy Ito announced her retirement in May. Ito has led NASCUS since 2014.
According to a statement from NASCUS, Knight has been involved with the organization on the senior management team for more than 20 years.
Chair of the NASCUS Regulator Board of Directors and Administrator of the North Carolina Credit Union Division, Rose Conner said, “Brian is uniquely qualified to lead NASCUS given the breadth and depth of his knowledge about the state and federal credit union systems and his keen sense of emerging issues in the consumer financial services marketplace.”
NASCUS Credit Union Advisory Council Chair and CEO of Colorado Credit Union, Mike Williams added, “I am confident that Brian’s leadership and vision are the combination we need to continue the organization’s success into 2022 and beyond.”
Knight joined NASCUS in 1998 as director of regulatory affairs and was named the organization’s first general counsel in 2007. He was promoted to his current position in 2014.
“I am honored and humbled to accept this position and build on the achievements of Lucy and those leaders that have come before me,” Knight said. “NASCUS is a unique and vitally important thread in the fabric of the credit union system and the broader financial services sector.
“NASCUS helps ensure the credit union system is best positioned to meet the challenges of the moment and of the future by supporting state regulatory agencies and working with dedicated credit union professionals to facilitate the cooperation and consultation essential for dynamic and viable credit union system.” Knight added, “I know firsthand the commitment of our staff and members to our mission. I want to thank the NASCUS Regulator Board of Directors and Credit Union Advisory Council for this opportunity.”
In an interview with Ito in June, CU Times asked her what she will miss about leading NASCUS.
“Of course, people. Everybody at NASCUS loves to geek out. We are kind of a nerdy bunch in different ways,” said Ito. “So I’ll miss geeking out on that stuff. But [I have] no regrets.
“I feel that NASCUS has come a long way. The credit union system has come a long way and it’s going to do great. You know, I do worry about responding to the cyber and digital challenges ahead, but we’ve got great people working in the credit unions. So, no regrets. It’s going to be exciting to get out of the way and let things happen.”
Conner and Williams released a joint statement about Ito’s departure. “We would also like to thank Lucy for her leadership over the last seven years and we wish her the very best in her retirement,” the statement read.