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State Department Federal Credit Union CEO Jan Roche announced her plans to retire this summer after serving 20 years as the credit union's leader.
In Wednesday's announcement from SDFCU, Roche reflected on the time she's spent working for the credit union's members since 2003.
"I am honored to have led SDFCU as its CEO and am grateful for the many opportunities and experiences I've had throughout my career. Visiting U.S. Embassies to provide financial education and gain feedback from our overseas members has been one of many highlights," Roche said. "I can't believe how quickly this time has flown by. A constant state of improvement means a fast pace and never a dull moment."
Roche added, "I'm incredibly proud of the inclusive and diverse culture we've built at SDFCU and of the dedication our employees and volunteers have toward helping our members achieve financial success. I will be leaving knowing SDFCU is well-positioned to thrive and grow in the years ahead."
Jan Roche Since taking the helm 20 years ago, Roche has grown SDFCU's assets from just over $700 million to nearly $2.8 billion today.
"On behalf of the board of directors, I want to share our appreciation for Jan's 20 years of dedicated service to SDFCU. Through her leadership, SDFCU has delivered products and services to improve the financial well-being of the membership," SDFCU Chairman of the Board Marlene Schwartz said. "By delivering sophisticated digital banking solutions and enhancing member service, the credit union has continued to evolve to meet the needs of our unique worldwide membership."
According to the announcement, the board has hired the credit union executive search firm Humanidei to conduct a national search for SDFCU's next leader.
"Jan Roche has been a tremendous leader in the industry and the condition of SDFCU is reflective of that," Humanidei President/CEO Jill Nowacki said. "This is certain to be a highly attractive opportunity and an excellent fit for a collaborative and high integrity leader committed to building and sustaining financial stability for the credit union and its members."
Roche was also recognized in November as a winner of the 2022 CU Times LUMINARIES Awards in the category of Executive Leadership: Individual Executives – East.
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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.
