BOISE — The Idaho CU League has announced that Kathy Thomson will continue on as president and CEO, removing the "interim" from that title and making her the first female in the top spot since the league's founding.
Thomson was named interim president/CEO in November, after the league's board dismissed then-CEO Christopher Johnson, who had replaced Alan Cameron upon his retirement just five months earlier.
This was the third go-round as interim CEO for Thomson, who joined the Idaho league in 1973 as a supply clerk, before moving on to hold various positions and serve as vice president before being named president and CEO.
She will be in charge of all league operations, supervision of its 10 employees and its for-profit subsidiary. Thomson is also a CU development educator and holds certifications as a league executive and CU executive.
Shane Berger, CEO at Beehive FCU in Pocatello, Idaho, and chair of the league's board, noted that each of the previous two times Thomson served as interim leader of the league, she wasn't interested in applying for the position permanently.
After Johnson's departure, he said, "We hired her a third time and asked 'Why aren't you interested in putting your hat in the ring to serve as a permanent CEO?' and this time she said 'I think I am.' "
Challenges Ahead
Thomson takes the helm at a time when the number of independent state credit union leagues is in sharp decline, with North and South Carolina having merged last year to join the ranks of other joint state leagues such as the League of Southeastern Credit Unions (Florida and Alabama), the Cornerstone CU League (Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas) along with several others.
Berger said that the board addressed that trend at a recent meeting, electing for now to remain as an independent league for now, while also looking for ways to "collaborate with other leagues where we can to achieve economies of scale that would benefit the league and allow us to be independent for as long as we can."
"We'll have some time with Kathy as a very capable CEO to think through all of this and decide what to do in the next couple years," he added.
Thomson said in a statement that in addition to continuing to advocate for the state's credit unions, she aims to make sure the league continues to provide products and services that CUs need and want in order to best serve their members and make themselves relevant in members' lives.
Berger noted that he has known the new league boss for nearly three decades, and "I'd call her one of the classiest ladies I know. She's just very even tempered, kind, fair, considerate and very caring. I couldn't say enough good things about her."
