Harry Zhu
After five months of searching, on Friday the $2.9 billion USALLIANCE Federal Credit Union's board of directors unveiled its decision to name Harry Zhu as the credit union's next president/CEO.
Zhu, who has been serving as chief retail lending officer for the $19 billion Alliant Credit Union in Chicago, will start the USALLIANCE leadership position in Rye, N.Y., on Oct. 2, according to the announcement.
"We are delighted to welcome Harry to USALLIANCE. He is an accomplished leader with experience in driving sustainable growth and a passion for collaboration," Chairperson of the Board Carla Palma said. "Harry is adept at using strategic insights, understands the industry and has the skills needed to lead USALLIANCE into a bright future as we continue our commitment to responsible growth, innovation and, most of all, member service."
Since former USALLIANCE President/CEO Kristin VanBeek left the credit union to take the leadership spot at Rockland Federal Credit Union in Rockland, Mass., in May, USALLIANCE has been led in the interim by its EVP/CFO, Brett Wheeler, and EVP Kevin Randall.
Board members thanked them "for their invaluable contributions during the CEO search process. Together, their efforts resulted in a smooth transition. Both will now work closely with Zhu in their respective roles."
As a 27-year veteran of both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, USALLIANCE selected Zhu, with help from leadership development firm DDJ Myers, for his wealth of experience in the financial services industry.
In a prepared statement, Zhu said, "USALLIANCE has been financially empowering its members since 1966. I can't wait to lead this growing and innovative organization into the future. By bringing a new perspective to our mission and working collaboratively with the entire credit union team, I believe we can deliver even more value while creating sustainable growth that benefits our members."
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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.
