Brett Thompson
The Wisconsin Credit Union League's longtime President/CEO Brett Thompson announced Monday that he plans on retiring in December after serving in the position for more than two decades.
In a statement, Thompson said, "It's been an honor of a lifetime serving Wisconsin's credit unions. I am excited to see what the future holds for a movement with such talent and dedication behind it."
According to the League's board of directors, they have started a nationwide search for a successor with the help of the executive search organization Humanidei.
Chair of The Wisconsin Credit Union League Board of Directors and president/CEO of Royal Credit Union, Brandon Riechers, said of Thompson's retirement announcement, "Brett has been a tireless advocate for Wisconsin's credit unions and the cooperative movement for over two decades. Brett's exceptional leadership skills, financial stewardship and clear vision for the future has positioned the League to achieve continued success. Brett's influence on Wisconsin credit unions will be evident for years to come and we wish him the very best in his retirement."
According to Monday's statement from the League, during Thompson's tenure he opened The League's Credit Union House in downtown Madison, Wis., and formed The Wisconsin Credit Union Foundation, which has provided more than $1.7 million to "promote the wellness of credit unions and the communities they serve."
During his 23 years at the League, Thompson has also served on numerous boards including those for American Association of Credit Union Leagues, Credit Union House and the National Credit Union Foundation, as well as CUNA's Executive, Corporate Governance and Government Affairs Committees.
The League represents 111 Wisconsin credit unions and their 3.8 million 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.
