Elise Baldacci
Following a past career in the credit union industry and time spent in the political world, Elise Baldacci's professional life has come full circle as she was named president of the Maine Credit Union League years after beginning her career at the League.
On Friday, League officials made the leadership announcement 10 months after Todd Mason left Maine to return to his home state of Michigan for another position. Since June of last year, Cris Wescott has held the position of interim president during the League's search for a new leader.
According to the Maine Credit Union League, Baldacci is the first woman to permanently serve the organization in this capacity.
"After conducting a thorough search for our industry's next leader, Elise's qualifications, including her experience advocating for credit unions, stood above the rest," said David Desjardins, chairman of the Maine Credit Union League's Board of Directors and CEO of Acadia Federal Credit Union ($332 million, Fort Kent, Maine). "She brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to this role, along with a deep commitment to carrying out the credit union 'people helping people' philosophy. Her familiarity with both the League and the credit union movement makes her well-positioned to advance the interests of Maine credit unions, now and in the future."
Previously, Baldacci was part of the League's senior management and served as director of governmental affairs, as well as with the League's CUSO Synergent, a financial technology and services company. Before returning to the Maine Credit Union League, Baldacci worked for Gov. Janet Mills as deputy chief of staff.
In a prepared statement, Baldacci said, "I am honored that the League's Board is providing me this tremendous opportunity. In many ways, I feel like I'm coming home. I've always been deeply passionate about credit unions and the tremendous difference they make in their communities and in their members' lives. I am eager to begin working with the League's talented staff and with Maine's credit unions to advocate on their behalf and showcase the mission and values of our industry."
According to Friday's statement, Baldacci will assume her new role on June 3.
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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.
