John Pembroke
The President/CEO of the Credit Union Executives Society (CUES), John Pembroke, died on Monday, according to a statement released by CUES Tuesday afternoon.
The statement from the Madison, Wis.-based CUES said, "A progressive and inspiring leader, John leveraged his diverse business skills, relationship-building expertise, and leadership attributes to drive organizational growth and profitability at the membership association. Under his leadership, CUES membership tripled, member loyalty increased, and new and innovative talent development offerings were created.
"As a mentor and advocate of a people-first philosophy, he encouraged and supported the employees at CUES, guiding the team to reach their individual and collective potential. He worked to evolve CUES into an industry thought leader, and made diversity, equity and inclusion a priority throughout the entire organization."
Pembroke had been president/CEO of CUES for more than seven years and prior to taking the leadership role, he was the organization's COO for just over two years after starting with CUES in 2013.
CUES Board Chair Kelly Marshall said, "John was an inspiring, thoughtful and caring leader, and a good friend. John had been courageously battling with health challenges over the past while, and he will be deeply missed professionally and personally."
A statement from CUNA President/CEO Jim Nussle said, "John believed strongly in the power of financial cooperatives to make positive differences in people's lives and inspired countless individuals to become better leaders. He was a top-notch relationship-builder who was always willing to explore something new and pass along what he'd learned, especially in the diversity, equity, and inclusion space. His legacy is one of always working to reach our potential, as individuals and as a movement."
CUES SVP/Chief Administrative Officer Jerry Saalsaa will continue serving as interim CEO, "continuing John's legacy and assuring continuity to the organization and its membership until a replacement is identified by the CUES board," according to a statement from the organization.
Pembroke is survived by his wife of 27 years, Monica, and other family members. According to CUES, service details are under development and will be announced soon.
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Michael Ogden
Editor-in-Chief at CU Times. To connect, email at [email protected]. As Editor-in-Chief of CU Times since 2016, Michael Ogden has led the editorial team in all aspects of content strategy and execution, including the creation of the publication’s exclusive and proprietary research database of the credit union industry’s economic landscape. Under Michael’s leadership, CU Times has successfully shifted to an all-digital editorial product with new focuses on the payments, fraud, lending and regulatory beats. Most recently, he introduced a data-focused editorial product for subscribers that breaks down credit union issues into hard data, allowing for a deeper and more factual narrative for readers. In 2024, he launched the "Shared Accounts With CU Times" podcast, which offers a fresh, inside-the-newsroom perspective through interviews with leaders from the credit union industry and the regulatory world. He dives into pressing credit union issues, while revealing the personalities working behind-the-scenes to push the credit union world forward. His background includes years as a radio and TV anchor/reporter and a public relations and digital/social media manager, where he covered the food and music industries, as well as cooperatives and credit unions. Over the years, he has launched numerous exclusive video and podcast series, including a successful series of interactive backstage interviews with musicians at music festivals, showcasing his social media and live streaming production skills.
