Whitney Oswalt
The $1.2 billion Alabama ONE Credit Union announced Tuesday that it promoted Whitney Oswalt, former chief strategy officer and CFO for the Tuscaloosa, Ala.-based credit union, to CEO effective June 26.
Oswalt replaced former CEO Bill Wells, who led the organization for nine years. When asked about the reason for Wells' departure from the CEO role, an Alabama ONE spokesperson stated via email, "Our Board of Directors have implemented a change in leadership."
According to Alabama ONE's announcement, Wells guided the credit union to significant growth over his tenure. He was officially appointed CEO in May 2016, following the credit union's state-ordered conservatorship and the dismissal of its previous CEO.
Oswalt joined Alabama ONE in 2012, having previously worked as a Certified Public Accountant and attorney. Over his last four years with the credit union, he has led Alabama ONE's strategy of acquiring five institutions, which expanded its market presence to 27 locations across Alabama, the credit union said.
Alabama ONE Board Chairperson Loo Whitfield stated, "On behalf of the Alabama ONE Credit Union Board of Directors, we are pleased to announce the appointment of Whitney Oswalt as CEO of Alabama ONE effective immediately. Whitney has been a strong member of our leadership team, and under his guidance first as chief financial officer and then as chief strategy officer, our credit union has continued to grow, thrive and remain financially sound. We are excited for the future of Alabama ONE with Whitney serving as our CEO."
Oswalt commented, "I am honored and grateful for the opportunity the Board has entrusted me to lead Alabama ONE in its next chapter of growth. We have a talented and extremely dedicated team at Alabama ONE that has contributed greatly in its growth over the last nine years. I want to thank Bill for his strong and critical leadership over the last nine years in laying a strong foundation for Alabama ONE. Our mission will not change as we move forward focusing our growth in rural communities across Alabama. I am excited to get to work with our team and see what opportunities await Alabama ONE in the near future."
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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.
