Ten-Year CEO Steps Down at Area Federal Credit Union

Board gives no reasons for Robert Goscicki’s resignation; Vice President of Accounting Renee Kulesa named CEO pending a search.

Source: Shutterstock.

The Area Federal Credit Union board of directors said last week that it has accepted the resignation of its 10-year President/CEO Robert Goscicki.

In a prepared statement, the Aberdeen, S.D.-based credit union did not provide a reason for his resignation, which was submitted to the board in June.

Vice President of Accounting Renee Kulesa is listed as the credit union’s CEO. However, the board also said in its prepared statement that a search for a new CEO is underway. Kulesa has worked at AFCU since 2000, according to her LinkedIn professional profile page.

Under Goscicki’s CEO tenure, assets grew from $104 million to $193 million, while loans increased from $73.8 million to $98.8 million and membership expanded from 10,473 to 11,814 from December 2012 to the end of this year’s first quarter, according to NCUA Call Reports.

However, NCUA financial reports showed 2021 was a challenging year for AFCU, which posted $102 million in loans at the end of March 2021 compared to loans of $98.8 million at the end of this year’s first quarter. Net income also declined from $454,848 in March of last year to $398,259 at the end of March this year.

Before joining AFCU, Goscicki served as president/CEO of Citizens Credit Union in Kalamazoo, Mich., until it was merged into the $12.1 billion Lake Michigan Credit Union in Grand Rapids in 2010.