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Callahan & Associates announces new organizational structure

Changes Will Enhance Ability to Anticipate Evolving Credit Union Needs

WASHINGTON, DC (November 1, 2013) — Callahan & Associates today announced a key new stage of an organizational and leadership structure evolution designed to heighten the firm’s responsiveness and its ability to stay ahead of the curve in new product development.
Organizationally, the senior management team will operate in a partnership model.  Leadership roles within the firm are also being significantly redefined.

“Think of it as a ‘new Grand Opening’ for Callahan & Associates led by the new generation of leadership driving their vision forward,” said Chip Filson, the firm’s chairman and co-founder.  “It’s very much like when a business remodels and then re-introduces itself to its customers and the marketplace with a fresh sense of excitement, purpose and possibility.“

Added Filson:  “Callahan & Associates has always been dedicated to the creation of knowledge that helps credit union leadership make a positive difference in service to their members. The continued organizational evolution led by the four senior manager-owners will accelerate our ability to partner with the industry. ”

The new approach will enable the firm to more quickly develop and introduce the solutions credit union leaders are seeking to succeed in today’s evolving marketplace, he added.  This will include shifting emphasis from the collection and presentation of information to its application, having staff work more collaboratively, and having more external interaction with the credit union marketplace.

Jon Jeffreys, currently vice president of Callahan Financial Services, will become Managing Partner.  Jeffreys’ key responsibilities will be to work with the team in allocating resources toward the opportunities that make the biggest impact for clients.
“Jon has been instrumental in the growth and success of our CU Student Choice program and, with nearly 15 years of experience at the firm, he has the background and depth of knowledge to lead the firm and realize the vision of this next generation of leaders,” said Filson. ”We are excited to have a senior team with over 50 years of combined experience at the firm leading Callahan at a time of unprecedented opportunities for credit unions.”

C&A Announces New Organizational Structure and Management Roles
November 1, 2013
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Noted Jeffreys:  “The other senior managers and I are excited to continue Callahan & Associates’ leadership position in the industry. We are passionate about helping credit unions think strategically about their businesses and future opportunities.  This step in our evolution will allow us to make our clients even more successful. ”

The reorganization will also establish new roles for these senior managers:

Jay Johnson, Executive Vice President, will lead development of all content and will assume the role as President of Callahan Financial Services, while continuing to serve as President of the TRUST mutual funds for credit unions;

Alix Patterson will be leading C&A’s solution development and innovation team; she has previously been serving as the firm’s chief operating officer:

Scott Patterson will be the firm’s point person on the Student Choice program, and he will continue to leverage his expertise around technology and innovation to increase the emphasis on generating new business solutions and ideas.  He will also lead the firm’s strategic partnerships.

“With these organizational changes, our firm is aligning its leadership and staff around market opportunities, much as credit unions align around their members,” said Sean Hession, the firm’s CEO for the past two years.  “It is a new way of assessing and responding to the marketplace, one that will yield greater insights, additional value, and a more robust product mix for the credit union marketplace.”

Hession plans to continue with the firm into 2014 to assist with the leadership transition, a trajectory that is in keeping with the strategic plan he helped forge.  “Sean’s role since joining the firm two years ago has been to lay the groundwork and prepare the team for this transition,” said Filson.  “He has done an outstanding job and we are now ready and well positioned to make that move.”

The partnership model announced today is rooted in the firm’s origins.  The firm was founded as a partnership nearly 30 years ago by Filson, who is continuing to serve as the board’s chairman, Wendell “Bucky” Sebastian, and the firm’s namesake, the late Ed Callahan, former CEO of Patelco Credit Union in San Francisco and chairman of the National Credit Union Administration Board under President Ronald Reagan.  The new model will be fully in place in 2014.

Callahan & Associates is a Washington, DC-based firm that delivers in-depth analysis of credit union quarterly performance through its proprietary software and financial publications. As a financial consultant, it also offers strategic planning and investment management for credit unions. Visit www.callahan.com to learn more.


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