Western Vista Credit Union, a $142 million institution based in Cheyenne, Wyo., has appointed Steven Leafgreen as president and CEO, succeeding John Balser, who is retiring after serving as chief executive for 27 years.
Leafgreen began his career at Western Vista in June 2010 as vice president of financial services. He was promoted to executive vice president on September 1, 2016 in preparation for his transition to the president/CEO position.
Leafgreen has almost 20 years of banking and management experience, ranging from credit and risk management, to underwriting, special assets, mortgage and middle marketing lending. He has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Iowa and recently graduated from the Southwest Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University.
“It is an honor and a privilege to be named president and CEO of Western Vista,” Leafgreen said in a statement. “I am forever grateful to my predecessor, John Balser, and the board of directors for allowing me to serve in this capacity. I’ve witnessed great things in my six and a half years at Western Vista. We have a dedicated staff and I look forward to working with them as we continue growing and improving on the products and services we offer.”
According to its call report, Western Vista posted net income of $468,107 in calendar 2016, a drop from the $811,433 figure in 2015.
Meanwhile, the credit union has seen its membership rise from 9,825 at year-end 2015 to 10,041 members in 2016.
