Colorado & California Credit Unions Name New Leaders

Phil Smith has been named president of the $2.3 billion Credit Union of Colorado, the Denver-based financial cooperative said Wednesday.

Smith has previously served as the COO since 2010.

“Phil has served as an invaluable member of the Credit Union of Colorado team for more than a decade. It is my honor to congratulate him as he moves into the position of president,” Terry Leis, Credit Union of Colorado’s CEO, said. “Phil has been extremely impactful during his tenure and has developed relationships across all branches and departments. His leadership is steadfast, and he’s committed to the credit union’s ‘here to help’ mission. This promotion comes as the credit union prepares for continued growth and expansion.”

As the fifth largest credit union in the Centennial State, Credit Union of Colorado’s 382 employees operate 18 locations and serve more than 156,000 members.

The board of directors for the $929 million Water and Power Community Credit Union in Los Angeles on Wednesday appointed Mike Tufegdzich as president/CEO.

He has been serving as interim CEO since July.

Tufegdzich succeeded Barry Roach, who left the credit union last summer and is currently working as a senior account manager for the $1.8 billion Upstart, an AI lending fintech firm in San Mateo, according to Roach’s LinkedIn professional profile page.

Tufegdzich previously served as Water and Power Community’s vice president of lending and sales. Joining the credit union in 1994, he also held other leadership roles in branch management, collections, compliance, real estate and IT.

Water and Power Community’s 115 employees operate five branches and serve more than 43,000 members.