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The Arlington, Va.-based PAHO/WHO Federal Credit Union announced last week that its CEO who retired in 2003 and director emeritus both passed away recently.
The $327 million PAHO/WHO (which stands for Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization) said its employees, board and members are mourning the loss of John Ford, who served on the board of directors for over 45 years, as well as retired CEO Leonard (Lenny) Supchak.
Leonard Supchak Ford spent several of his years on the PAHO/WHO Board of Directors as chairman, and has served as director emeritus for the last 20 years. Supchak spent his career working in finance, and according to his public obituary, he died at the age of 88, leaving behind his wife of 67 years, Eleanor; three children; one son-in-law; two grandsons; one granddaughter-in-law and one great-granddaughter.
According to PAHO/WHO, Supchak was well known within the local credit union community, pushing for changes that would benefit members everywhere, and Ford was influential at the credit union as well.
"John was not just one more volunteer," PAHO/WHO CEO Miguel Boluda, Jr., said of Ford. "He was fulfilling a calling, a purpose that drove him to excel, thus inspiring all board members to commit and give their time and dedication to the ideals of the credit union, which is to promote the financial well-being of our members."
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Natasha Chilingerian
Natasha Chilingerian has been immersed in the credit union industry for over a decade. She first joined CU Times in 2011 as a freelance writer, and following a two-year hiatus from 2013-2015, during which time she served as a communications specialist for Xceed Financial Credit Union (now Kinecta Federal Credit Union), she re-joined the CU Times team full-time as managing editor. She was promoted to executive editor in 2019. In the earlier days of her career, Chilingerian focused on news and lifestyle journalism, serving as a writer and editor for numerous regional publications in Oregon, Louisiana, South Carolina and the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition, she holds experience in marketing copywriting for companies in the finance and technology space. At CU Times, she covers People and Community news, cybersecurity, fintech partnerships, marketing, workplace culture, leadership, DEI, branch strategies, digital banking and more. She currently works remotely and splits her time between Southern California and Portland, Ore.
