JAY – OTIS Federal Credit Union is pleased to announce the appointment of Kim Turner as the new President/CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2018. Turner’s appointment follows current President/CEO Roland Poirier’s retirement announcement. Poirier has served in the role for 31 years.
“Kim [Turner]’s passion for members and her ideal of member service [as being] top priority has shown since her first being hired,” Poirier said. “She constantly … works to make the Credit Union a better organization for our members. She has dedicated [significant] time to further educating herself over the last four years, specifically about credit unions and management.”
Poirier said that he was pleased to see someone promoted to the position from within the credit union who “will be able to hit the ground running.” He said that Turner understands the culture, but also has had a great deal of exposure to the inner workings of other credit unions.
“Having worked for Synergent [a subsidiary of the Maine Credit Union League],” said Poirier, “[Turner] has seen a lot of other operations; she’s been exposed to a lot of different ideas that will be of great benefit to our members.”
Duane Lake, chairman of the Board of Directors, welcomed Turner’s selection as CEO. “The Board of Directors of OTIS FCU welcomes Kim Turner as our new CEO,” he said. “Her experience working at Synergent, as well as her experience working with Roland for the past few years, has made her the best candidate for the position] We on the Board look forward to working with Kim and all the employees of OTIS FCU in moving OTIS forward and keeping it one of the best CU’s in the state.”
Turner has been with the Credit Union since December 2013, when she was hired as Vice President of Operations and Compliance. In her role as Vice President, Turner has collaborated with Poirier and Darice Dubreuil, Vice President of Lending, on various projects, compliance-related topics, new product implementation, and long-term strategic planning. She also works closely with staff, helping to provide hands-on member support, assisting employees with questions, and leading discussions on new processes and procedures at the Credit Union. Prior to coming to OTIS, Turner worked as an Account Relationship Manager at Synergent. In her time there, she was tasked with managing credit union accounts and ensuring that credit unions were consistently up-to-date and well-educated on the products and services available to them related to Episys, the core processing platform used by over 650 credit unions.
“I am very honored by the opportunity to serve the members and employees in this new capacity,” said Turner. “I have wanted to be the CEO of a credit union since I had my first job at Rainbow Federal Credit Union in Lewiston as a Teller. Even when I didn’t truly understand the dynamics behind being part of the Credit Union Movement or being part of a cooperative, working at a credit union on behalf of members has always been a rewarding experience for me: getting to know each member that I work with, understanding their financial needs and wants, and making sure that I do everything possible to make those priorities happen. Working for a credit union and serving members, regardless of the position being held, is something phenomenal, something special, and I am so lucky to have the career that I do!”
Turner currently serves on the Town of Livermore Planning Board and on the Maine Credit Union League Governmental Affairs Committee. She is also currently serving as the Chair of the Jay-Livermore-Livermore Falls Chamber of Commerce, as the Chair of the Maine Credit Union League Young Professional Network, as the Treasurer of Maine’s Paper and Heritage Museum, and as the Chapter President of the Norm Nolette Chapter of Credit Unions. Turner earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the University of Southern Maine, as well as Certified Credit Union Executive and Credit Union Compliance Expert designations from the Credit Union National Association.
OTIS FCU serves more than 10,839 members and holds over $161 million in assets, employing 27 people from the local communities.
Congratulations Kim!