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Ko’olau FCU President and CEO retiring

HONOLULU, HI (April 30, 2025) |

Ko’olau Federal Credit Union President and CEO James Lee is retiring following three successful years leading this institution.  James spent his career leading various sized organizations in the armed forces and finance industry.  Under his leadership these organizations surpassed expectations and were known for innovation and results.  As a result, he developed a reputation for taking on challenging assignments and changing the culture of underperforming organizations.  

James has over thirty years of experience in the banking and credit union industry with extensive experience in retail operations, consumer and commercial lending, and compliance. 

James is a veteran of the Army Reserve and served as an infantry officer assigned to IXth Corps and the famed 100th Bn/442nd Infantry Regiment.  He graduated from the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses at Fort Benning and completed the Special Forces Staff Officer Course.   

James grew up in Waipahu, attended the University of Hawaii and worked for several local financial institutions over the years.  These included Finance Factors, Ltd., American Savings Bank, First Federal Savings and Loan and Bank of Hawaii.  He left Hawaii for Washington, DC in 2000 to work at his first credit union – The United States Senate Federal Credit Union. 

Ko’olau FCU, which is headquartered at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, experienced a rapid modernization and three years of increased profitability since 2002. He is confident that incoming leadership team will build on his efforts to continue the success of Ko’olau FCU in the future.

Before joining Ko’olau FCU James was the President and CEO of GEICO Federal Credit Union in Chevy Chase, MD.  James resides in Kailua with his wife and twin daughters.

Ko’olau Federal Credit Union

Founded in 1953, the credit union opened under the name of Marine Corps Air Station Federal Credit Union to serve all personnel on the base formerly known as Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) and is now known as Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH).  ...

Over the last 72 years there have been a few name changes and the membership of Ko’olau FCU has expanded, but we never stopped our focus on the financial needs of the MCBH community. In support of that commitment KFCU still maintains its headquarters and most of its staff on Mokapu Road. In addition, many of its Board of Directors and other volunteers were civilian executives on MCBH.

We opened a branch office in Kailua in 1978, and in 1982, we changed the name of the credit union to Windward Community Federal Credit Union. This included expanding our charter to include the communities of Kailua and Kaneohe. We opened an additional branch in Kaneohe in 1985 and the charter was expanded again in 1996 to include all communities on the Windward side of Oahu, from Chinaman’s Hat to Mokapuu Point. Castle Medical Center Federal Credit Union merged with Windward Community FCU in 1998.

Finally, in 2019 we rebranded WCFCU to Ko’olau Federal Credit Union and expanded our charter to include all people who live, work, worship or attend school in Honolulu County (the island of O’ahu).

Ko’olau FCU is the twenty-fourth largest credit union in Hawaii, with membership totaling more than 6,500 and assets of nearly $95 million. Ko’olau FCU is the only credit union headquartered on the windward side of O’ahu. All residents of O’ahu and their immediate families are eligible to join Ko’olau FCU.

For additional information, please visit koolaufcu.org.

Contact

James Lee
President and Chief Executive Officer
(808) 254-3566 x1133
jlee@koolaufcu.org

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