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Perry Dawson, who served as president/CEO for the $16.7 billion, Tampa, Fla.-based Suncoast Credit Union from 1967 to 1996, passed away on Aug. 12. He was 95.
Perry Dawson Dawson's 40-year credit union career began in 1955 when he joined Dallas Teachers Credit Union in Texas as loan officer, assistant general manager and acting general manager, according to his obituary. When he took the helm at Suncoast in 1967, known then as Hillsborough County Teachers Credit Union, it had 4,500 members and 18 employees. Upon his retirement in 1996, Dawson had grown the credit union to become the 12th largest in the U.S. (Suncoast is currently the country's 11th largest).
"It hurts to lose this industry pioneer, but we honor his life of caring and serving others through his impressive career," current Suncoast President/CEO Kevin Johnson stated. "I, along with our many colleagues who worked with him or under his tutelage, appreciate his steady, calm guidance and leadership and we will miss him."
Aside from leading Suncoast, Dawson's other notable industry accomplishments included the following:
- Serving as president of CUNA and receiving a CUNA Lifetime Achievement Award
- Serving as president of CUES
- Becoming a charter member of the CUES Hall of Fame in 1988
- Being named CUES Executive of the Year in 1994
- Founding and serving as a board member of the Education Credit Union Council
- Being voted the Most Admired Credit Union CEO in the U.S. in 1989
- Serving as director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta's Jacksonville, Fla., branch, for six years
- Serving as president of the Tampa Chapter of the Florida Credit Union League
In announcing his death, Suncoast referred to Dawson as a pioneer of the credit union movement, stating, "Many of our industry's foundational principles of financial democracy are a direct reflection of his leadership, guidance and moral compass as he was involved at the state and federal level in the early stages of growth of credit unions around the country."
Dawson leaves behind his wife, Ruth, four daughters and nine grandchildren. A memorial service is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. ET Friday, Aug. 18 at Lafayette Presbyterian Church in Tallahassee, Fla. Current and former colleagues are invited to post tributes and condolences here.
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Natasha Chilingerian
Natasha Chilingerian has been immersed in the credit union industry for over a decade. She first joined CU Times in 2011 as a freelance writer, and following a two-year hiatus from 2013-2015, during which time she served as a communications specialist for Xceed Financial Credit Union (now Kinecta Federal Credit Union), she re-joined the CU Times team full-time as managing editor. She was promoted to executive editor in 2019. In the earlier days of her career, Chilingerian focused on news and lifestyle journalism, serving as a writer and editor for numerous regional publications in Oregon, Louisiana, South Carolina and the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition, she holds experience in marketing copywriting for companies in the finance and technology space. At CU Times, she covers People and Community news, cybersecurity, fintech partnerships, marketing, workplace culture, leadership, DEI, branch strategies, digital banking and more. She currently works remotely and splits her time between Southern California and Portland, Ore.
