After 20 years of innovative leadership and a commitment to preserve and build on WSECU’s reputation for fostering a culture of caring, President & CEO Kevin Foster-Keddie is retiring.

Under Kevin’s guidance and leadership, WSECU introduced a community charter while keeping a close connection to the credit union’s roots in public service. The credit union has also continuously grown and evolved – most notably during the increasing demand for digital technology – to meet the changing needs of members. When he stepped in as CEO in 1999, the credit union retained $668m in assets with 105,000 members. WSECU is now over $3 billion strong with 270,000 members.

Some of the additional milestones reached during Kevin’s tenure include:

• Expanded presence in Washington State with new branches in Bellevue, Ellensburg, Federal Way, Tumwater, West Olympia and Puyallup.
• Construction of two new buildings – one for the flagship branch and headquarters in Olympia and the second for the U-District branch in Seattle.
• QCash Financial, a wholly-owned subsidiary of WSECU, was awarded the Financial Times Future of Fintech award in 2017 for its digital small dollar lending platform.
• Highly effective stewardship during the economic downturn that prevented reductions in staff and negative impact on the level of member service.
• Kevin’s appointment to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Credit Union Advisory Council in 2014.

Kevin leaves more than a legacy of success in WSECU’s growth, innovation and soundness. He also leaves fond memories of his down-to-earth interactions with staff and his sense of humor.

He continuously made an effort to stay in touch with employees. He could be seen at Olympia headquarters making the rounds regularly, discussing a variety of topics from credit union business to the latest sports scores – especially basketball. He visited branches to personally recognize employees for outstanding member and co-worker service. And he was a good sport, wearing various outfits to support internal initiatives and stopping by each department so everyone could see his clever Halloween costumes including Gumby, Mr. Spock and Captain America.

After a short transition period, Kevin will fully retire early next year. All of us at WSECU wish him a happy retirement doing the things he loves with friends and family.

Thanks for 20 amazing years, Kevin!