Steven Schmidle
The board of directors for the Denver-based Westerra Credit Union ($2.1 billion in assets, 116,635 members) announced Tuesday that Steven Schmidle will formerly take over as the credit union's next president/CEO.
Schmidle had been serving as acting president/CEO after Jay Champion resigned in May of this year to take a leadership position at the Littleton, Mass.-based Workers Credit Union.
According to a statement from Westerra, "During this time Schmidle has demonstrated remarkable leadership, dedication and a profound commitment to Westerra's mission. The transition is a natural and positive step, reflecting a strategic move to navigate the organization through today's challenging financial landscape, while preserving the institution's commitment to its members and the community."
Schmidle joined Westerra in 2019 when he was hired as CFO.
Westerra Board Chair Andy Rajecvich said of Schmidle's announcement, "We have worked with Steve for many years and are impressed with his commitment to our members and the communities Westerra serves. The board of directors is confident he will lead Westerra with dedication and ensure our goals of sustainable growth and member service are met."
In a prepared statement, Schmidle said, "I am deeply honored to be appointed by the board of directors to the position of president and chief executive officer of Westerra Credit Union. We have a proud history approaching 90 years in length, and I am fully committed to strengthening that legacy. Together, with our dedicated team, we will not only navigate the current financial landscape but also innovate and create new opportunities for our members to thrive."
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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.
