Dean Odle on Monday became the new president and chief executive officer of Cabrillo Credit Union in San Diego following Robin Lentz's retirement on March 31.
Lentz was hired as Cabrillo CU’s CEO on June 18, 1979. At the time, the credit union had just $6 million in assets. Under Lentz’s leadership, Cabrillo CU grew to more 22,000 members and more than $264 million in assets.
Odle joins Cabrillo CU from Public Service Credit Union, a $2 billion credit union in Lone Tree, Colo. As chief retail officer, Odle is credited with creating a nationally recognized Member Success Department and strategy that utilized existing market research and member data to improve member engagement, products per household and account profitability.
While at Public Service CU, Odle also created a Deposit Strategy Committee that was responsible for developing tactical strategies and promotions, resulting in the growth of branch balances to 204% of their goal for the year.
Prior to his time at Public Service CU, Odle served as executive vice president and senior vice president at another billion-dollar credit union, and he has held other management roles. Odle has a Bachelor’s Degree in International Business from Oregon State University, a Master’s of Business Administration in Marketing from Georgia State University, and he studied international Business and Marketing in Tokyo, Japan.
“With the extensive credit union industry experience and impressive list of accomplishments that he has, we feel lucky to have Dean as our CEO and look forward to the future of our institution under his leadership,” Bruce May, chairperson of the board of directors, said in a statement.
When asked about his new position at Cabrillo Credit Union, Odle said, “This is a truly exciting opportunity. Cabrillo is a great organization with strong financials, terrific employees and, of course, wonderful member-owners. Robin and team have been very proactive in building products and services that exceed the offerings of many of our competitors. Add this to our strong culture of respect and care for our membership and I believe we have a very bright future. I feel fortunate to be part of the Cabrillo family.”
Lentz's legacy
During her tenure, Lentz received many awards, including the California Credit Union League’s Unsung Hero Award. She was inducted into CUNA’s Hall of Leaders in 2014. At the same time, Cabrillo Credit Union has received numerous awards, including the Shapiro Award, and the prestigious Credit Union of the Year Award.
Lentz holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, and an MBA, from the University of Redlands. In addition, she is a graduate of Western CUNA Management School, a three-year intensive program for credit union leaders. Lentz has served in numerous leadership roles in credit union organizations and associations, including as the president of the San Diego Credit Union Managers Association, the San Diego Credit Union Executive Society and the San Diego Chapter of the Board of Governors for the California Credit Union League.
“Early in my career I realized our members are our primary focus,” Lentz said. “Everything we do at Cabrillo is to help serve our members. While most companies are looking to find ways to reduce expenses and put additional work on their customers, at Cabrillo our philosophy is different. My staff and I understand our members are the reason why our credit union exists. We do everything in our power to make their lives easier, even if it sometimes makes our jobs more difficult.
“I am grateful to have spent the majority of my career as part of the Cabrillo Credit Union family. I am extremely proud of what we have built and look forward to seeing the next phase in Cabrillo CU’s evolution,” said Lentz.
Chairman May said, “The board of directors of Cabrillo Credit Union could not have asked for a better leader than Robin Lentz. More than just having a big heart, Robin has always been a visionary in the credit union industry. She has spent much of her career keeping Cabrillo CU in the forefront of using technology to serve and support our members. What Robin has helped to create at Cabrillo CU is truly amazing. We feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with her and wish her well as she transitions into retirement.”
