3 Former CEOs, Board Members Join the DCUC Hall of Honor

LEAGUES

The Virginia Credit Union League announced election results for its board of directors during its recent 89th Annual Meeting in Williamsburg, Va., and the league board’s reorganization meeting.

Jeff Bentley, president/CEO for the $4.8 billion, Herndon, Va.-based Northwest Federal Credit Union, was elected to a three-year term on the board. Bentley was also re-elected vice chairman of the board.

Paul Muse, president/CEO for the $961 million, Newport News, Va.-based 1st Advantage Federal Credit Union, was elected to a three-year term on the board. Muse was also re-elected treasurer of the board.

Mike Warrell, president/CEO for the $686 million, Martinsville, Va.-based ValleyStar Credit Union, was elected to a three-year term on the board.

Joe Thomas, president/CEO for the $534 million, Fairfax, Va.-based NextMark Credit Union, was re-elected chairman of the board.

Janine Williams, SVP of marketing for the $1.4 billion, Charlottesville, Va.-based UVA Community Credit Union, was re-elected secretary of the board.

TRADES

The Defense Credit Union Council, which serves as a resource for credit unions on all military and defense matters, inducted three new credit union leaders into its Hall of Honor. The Hall of Honor was established in 2000 to recognize individuals whose exceptional contributions over the years have made a significant difference to DCUC and the defense credit union community.

Denise Floyd will join the DCUC Hall of Honor for her commitment to serving the nation’s servicemembers and veterans, with 40 years at Fort Sill Federal Credit Union ($362 million, Lawton, Okla.) and 21 years as president/CEO. She has served DCUC through positions such as board secretary, vice chair and chairman. Floyd was one of the longest-serving president/CEO board members in DCUC history and the third woman to hold the board chair position. She has also served on the Armed Forces Financial Network board as an associate director, director and board chair, and has received many awards including a Certificate of Appreciation in 2014 by the Associate of the United States of Fires Center of Excellence Fort Sill, the 2007 Troy Higgins Political Activist of the Year award and the Honorable Order of Saint Barbara.

Roger Scearce, a brigadier general and longtime board member for the $2.4 billion, Suitland, Md.-based Andrews Federal Credit Union, will join the DCUC Hall of Honor. Scearce served as a career officer in the United States Army for 28 years and rose to the most senior position in the Army Finance Corps as Commandant of the U.S. Army Finance School and Commander of the 266th Theater Finance Command, U.S. Army Europe. During his military career, he also served on the U.S. Army War College faculty and as the Deputy Director of Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Scearce joined the Andrews board of directors in 1996 and held positions such as vice chairman, chairman and treasurer. He also served as a senior DoD consultant to DCUC and on the DCUC military advisory committee.

Also joining the DCUC Hall of Honor is Colonel Sam Farace, a longtime board member for the $643 million, San Antonio, Texas-based Air Force Federal Credit Union. Farace served a 28-year career in the United States Air Force through various leadership positions such as assistant and deputy commander and commander in the aircraft maintenance, logistics and resource management fields. During his 28 years on the AFFCU board of directors, he held positions such as treasurer, vice chair and chairman, and received the Credit Union Services Award certification and the Board of Directors and Leadership Awards from the Texas Credit Union League and CUNA. Farace strongly advocated for AFFCU’s sponsorship and participation in numerous programs supporting military and veteran communities, such as the Honor Flight of San Antonio trips and AFFCU’s bi-weekly personal finance classes to airmen at JBSA-Lackland, which earned the credit union the Military Saves Designation of Savings Excellence award. He also served as a voting delegate at 15 of DCUC’s annual conferences.

Floyd, Scearce and Farace will be inducted into the DCUC Hall of Honor during the DCUC Annual Conference in Colorado Springs, Colo., scheduled for Aug. 7-11, 2023.

Please send your People news items to Natasha Chilingerian at nchilingerian@cutimes.com.