Navy Federal Credit Union Names New CEO

Dietrich Kuhlmann will become the next president/CEO of the world’s largest credit union on March 1.

He will succeed current CEO Mary McDuffie, who has led Navy Federal Credit Union since January 2019. She announced plans to retire last September.

During her CEO tenure, Navy Federal’s assets increased from $96.9 billion to $170 billion, while loans grew from $78.3 billion to $123 billion and membership expanded from 8,232,022 to 13,342,112, according to NCUA Call Reports.

Kuhlmann joined Navy Federal in 2019 after retiring from the United States Navy as a rear admiral. He has served as COO for the Vienna, Va.-based credit union over the last two years.

“Following the announcement of Mary McDuffie’s retirement last September, the board undertook a months-long, rigorous process to identify the best leader for our credit union,” Navy Federal Board Chair Ed Cochrane said in a prepared statement. “Dietrich has shown an unwavering commitment to both his country and to his fellow men and women in uniform throughout his extensive career. These experiences make him the ideal person to lead this institution, and we know he will continue to serve our members superbly in the years ahead.”

As Navy Federal’s COO, Kuhlmann has overseen operations across the credit union’s Pensacola, Fla., Winchester, Va., and San Diego campuses. In that role, he championed policies promoting Navy Federal’s corporate vision, culture and employee engagement to deliver the highest standards of service to its members worldwide, according to Navy Federal.

“I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with Dietrich in numerous capacities since he came on board at Navy Federal,” McDuffie said, who served as an executive leader at the credit union since 1999 before taking over the CEO’s helm.  “A leader of integrity with a powerful sense of duty and purpose, Dietrich also genuinely understands what our members need. I can think of no better individual to steer us into the next phase of growth and further our mission to serve Navy Federal Credit Union’s members and their families.”

“I’m tremendously grateful to be trusted with the responsibility to lead Navy Federal Credit Union,” Kuhlmann said. “This is an incredible opportunity to continue my career of service to our military community and I’m eager to build upon the progress Mary has championed on behalf of our members as CEO.”

In active-duty service, Kuhlmann completed three operational command tours and multiple finance assignments at the Pentagon. In his final position as programming division director on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations, Kuhlmann was responsible for the U.S. Navy’s $800 billion, five-year capital allocation process.

“We congratulate Mary on her retirement and thank her for her decades of service to this credit union,” Cochran said. “She truly embodied our values of putting members first, and she will be greatly missed at Navy Federal.”