Credit Unions in Three States Appoint Four New CEOs

Credit unions in three states recently appointed CEOs, including one that took the unusual step of naming co-CEOs.

Chris Bouchard took over the CEO helm at the $232 million OTIS Federal Credit Union in Jay, Maine last month.

He succeeds Roland Poirier, who served as interim president/CEO since last December.

Bouchard previously served as COO for the $364 million Dirigo Federal Credit Union in Lewiston, Maine. According to his LinkedIn page, he also worked as director of customer sales and operation for Northeast Bank, a senior officer and operations officer for ING, a senior specialist for Citi Bank and a financial consultant for Dirigo Financial Group.

OTIS’s 31 employees serve more than 11,000 members.

Patricia Schimonsky and Kelly Friedl were named co-CEOs for the $93.5 million New Alliance Federal Credit Union, the Ambridge, Pa.-based financial cooperative announced in late June.

They succeed Florinda Zbrzezny, who retired after nearly 40 years of service.

“Florinda knew the entire business of our credit union from the bottom up. During her tenure, she was always dedicated to helping serve the members of our community. Whether it was helping working families in need of a place to save for a rainy day, or providing loans to improve lives, Florinda and the credit union could always be counted on,” New Alliance Board Chair Alex Barlamas said in a prepared statement. “Florinda was keenly focused on helping individuals live a better financial life and on growing our footprint throughout the Pittsburgh region. It has been a personal pleasure to work alongside her.”

In its prepared statement, the credit union said Schimonsky and Friedl are seasoned leaders who bring dual skillsets and unique individual strengths to the shared CEO role.

Schimonsky has worked at the credit union for 37 years and previously served as CFO. Friedl previously served as COO. Before joining New Alliance in 2018, she was the lending manager for the $138 million Horizon Federal Credit Union in Williamsport, Pa. Friedl also served as CEO for the $43.6 million Moonlight Credit Union in Worthington, Pa., and Heinz-Del Monte Federal Credit Union in Pittsburgh.

New Alliance’s 22 employees serve more than 7,500 members.

Annie Hutter, who was first hired as a teller for the $56.7 million Badger-Globe Credit Union in Neenah, Wis., became its new CEO on July 2.

She succeeds CEO Carla Watson, who is retiring after nearly 37 years of service.

After joining BGCU as a teller in 2008, she was promoted to the position of support services coordinator and named vice president of support services last year. She previously worked at the $1.5 billion Verve Credit Union in Oshkosh, Wis., as a project manager coordinator, accounting associate and executive assistant. She also served as president of the Fox Cities Chapter of the Wisconsin Credit Union League.

BGCU’s 10 employees serve nearly 2,800 members.