Press

Wright-Patt Credit Union President & CEO, Doug Fecher, to retire

BEAVERCREEK, OH (June 29, 2021) — Wright-Patt Credit Union (WPCU) announced today that President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Doug Fecher is retiring from his position, effective December 30, 2021.

The credit union’s Board of Directors has established a formal search committee to name a successor by year-end. Fecher joined WPCU in 1995 as Vice President of Lending. In 1997, he was promoted to Vice President/COO and served in that role before becoming President and CEO in December 2000.

Joseph Linsenmeyer, Chair, WPCU’s Board of Directors, said, “We thank Doug for the transformative contributions he has made for Wright-Patt Credit Union. His leadership and collaboration will be missed. The credit union weathered several global challenges under Doug’s leadership, and we relied heavily on his expertise throughout the Great Recession and again during the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with his many contributions, Doug has built a strong, respected, and valued management team. His extensive knowledge of the industry along with his unwavering commitment to helping people has positioned the credit union for future success. As a Board, we are committed to conducting a comprehensive search to identify the next CEO to execute our strategy and lead the credit union’s 1,200 employees, for the benefit of all of our stakeholders.”

WPCU has delivered a strong performance under Fecher’s leadership since 2000:

Membership grew from 156,000 to 432,000
Assets increased from $596 million to $6.7 billion
Member Centers more than doubled from 16 to 34
Created myCUmortgage, a wholly-owned mortgage lending and processing company
Since 2008, WPCU has returned more than $83 million to members annually in the form of an end of year special patronage dividend
More than 1,172 employees work at the credit union, up from 363
With the creation of the Sunshine Community Fund, WPCU’s charitable giving arm, the credit union has raised over $2 million for area nonprofits

In 2020 alone, WPCU was honored with the following acknowledgments:

Doug Fecher – Executive of the Year – Dayton Business Journal
Financial Health Leader – Financial Health Network
Fast 50 – named one of Dayton’s 50 fastest growing companies – Dayton Business Journal
Best Bank/Credit Union in Ohio by Dayton Magazine
Best Places to Work – Dayton Business Journal
Healthiest Employer – Dayton Business Journal
Top 5 Best Banking Apps – MagnifyMoney
Best Bank/Credit Union – Best of Dayton Awards – Dayton.com
Honorable mention for network security – Digital Defense
A top 200 of the nation’s healthiest financial institutions – Lending Tree

“It has been an honor and privilege leading WPCU. Credit Unions are national treasures. I believe nothing else matters except the welfare of our members. All I ever wanted to do is to make sure I did what was right for all of our stakeholders – even in this fast-changing and highly regulated world,” Fecher said. “I am enormously proud of the credit union and what we have accomplished by always staying true to the legacy of cooperative principles and self-help. WPCU’s future is extremely encouraging, and I look forward to a smooth transition.”

Doug Fecher

About Wright-Patt Credit Union

Established in 1932, Wright‐Patt Credit Union is a member‐owned, not‐for‐profit financial cooperative proudly serving Central and Southwest Ohio with more than 432,000 members and over $6.7 billion in assets. As a cooperative, Wright‐Patt Credit Union joins members together, pooling financial resources to meet the needs of all. The pooled resources provide the capital to run a strong and efficient operation. Wright‐Patt Credit Union is headquartered in Beavercreek, Ohio, and has convenient Member Centers throughout Central and Southwest Ohio. Wright‐Patt Credit Union's mission is to help people through life by allowing members to achieve a greater degree of economic independence. Visit Wright‐Patt Credit Union's website at www.wpcu.coop for more information. This credit union is federally insured by NCUA.

About Doug Fecher

Fecher’s civic involvement includes providing leadership on many community boards. He was appointed by Ohio’s Governor Kasich to serve on the Wright State University Board of Trustees as well as numerous other local, state, and national boards. He is a past member of the Board for CareSource, Ohio’s largest Medicaid Managed Care Firm; a past member of the Board of Trustees of the Muse Machine (serving as Chairman of its Strategic Planning Committee); and a past Chairman of the Greene County Heart Walk for the American Heart Association. In 2013, he served as Dayton’s Chairman of the March of Dimes Walk-A-Thon. He is a 2003 graduate of Leadership Dayton.

He is also the Chair of the Board of Managers of myCUmortgage; sits on the Board of Cooperative Business Services, a credit union commercial lending company; and is a member of the Board of Trustees of Callahan & Associates, a credit union consulting company.

Fecher is a past Chairman of the National Credit Union Roundtable, past Chairman of the Ohio Credit Union League, and past member of the Filene Research Institute Research Council, a credit union think-tank headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin.

In addition, previously, Fecher has served on a variety of committees for state and national credit union trade associations and served on the Board of Directors of the Consumer Federation of America. He has testified on behalf of credit unions many times at both the state and federal levels before House and Senate committees, including the House Financial Services Committee and Senate Financial Committee. He is considered an expert in consumer financial health and is frequently called upon by legislators and other interested parties for insight into public policy for helping America’s consumers achieve financial freedom.

About the Sunshine Community Fund

The Sunshine Community Fund’s name was derived from Wright-Patt Credit Union’s “people helping people” philosophy that has been around since the beginning in the 1930s. Back then, times were hard for everyone and those who didn’t work didn’t get paid. Government workers on today’s Wright-Patterson Air Force Base joined together to contribute 25 cents a pay period to help a fellow coworker who was ill and in need of financial support until he could return to work. Since its inception in 2015, the Sunshine Community Fund has raised over $2 million to support local nonprofits including: Ronald McDonald House of Dayton, Dayton Children’s Hospital, March of Dimes, Fisher/Nightingale Houses, Gala of Hope, Crayons to Classrooms, United Rehabilitation Services, Habitat for Humanity, Goodwill Easter Seals Miami Valley. Artemis Domestic Violence Center, Homefull, St. Vincent de Paul, and Rebuilding Together Dayton. The WPCU Sunshine Community Fund is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity and donor contributions are 100% tax-deductible.

Contacts

Evelyn Ritzi
Evelyn@ohlmanngroup.com
Wright-Patt Credit Union

Tracy Szarzi-Fors,
Wright-Patt Credit Union, Inc.
(937) 912-7114
tszarzi-fors@wpcu.coop
www.wpcu.coop

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