New President/CEO
ROGUE CREDIT UNION ANNOUNCES NEW PRESIDENT/CEO
Medford, OR - Rogue Credit Union announces that the Board of Director’s has named current President, Matt Stephenson, the new President/CEO effective April 1, 2022 following the retirement of long-time CEO, Gene Pelham. Pelham’s retirement will bring to a close a remarkable career and more than 18 years of service to Rogue Credit Union.
Stephenson joined the credit union in 2004, serving as the Executive Vice President for the last 10 years and President over the past year. His leadership has played an instrumental role in many significant projects over the years including the purchase and assumption of Chetco Federal Credit Union, a core system conversion and a merger with Malheur Federal Credit Union. As a lifelong credit union member, Stephenson’s passion for the credit union movement will continue to propel Rogue into the future. He said, “I have been blessed to work with an amazing team at Rogue for many years. I am extremely honored and humbled to have been selected to lead Rogue in our continuous pursuit of providing our members with the personalized exceptional service they've come to expect.”
Upon Pelham’s retirement in March, Stephenson will become just the fifth President/CEO in Rogue’s 65-year history. “It was important to the Board of Directors to select a President/CEO who would continue to provide strategic vision, leadership development, commitment to community and doing what is right for the members at Rogue,” stated Board Chair, Philip Smith.
Gene Pelham leaves a lasting legacy with over 40 years of experience in the financial services industry. Gene spent the majority of his career pursuing his passion for service as part of the not-for-profit credit union movement.
Pelham joined the credit union in 2003 and has served as its fourth President/CEO since 2007. Under his leadership, Rogue Credit Union experienced tremendous success, growing from serving 39,400 members with $303 million in assets to serving over 183,000 members with $3 billion in assets.
Pelham propelled the credit union to new heights - successfully leading Rogue through the Great Recession, the purchase and assumption of Chetco Federal Credit Union, and most recently, the merger with Malheur Federal Credit Union. During his tenure, Rogue expanded from seven branch locations to a network of 27 locations, employing over 550 dedicated team members. Under Pelham’s leadership the credit union introduced the Rogue Rewards Ownership Account, which celebrated the cooperative ownership of a not-for-profit member owned financial services provider.
Rogue Credit Union is a member-owned, not-for-profit financial cooperative, with an asset base of $3 billion and a loan portfolio of over $1.7 billion. At Rogue, it’s about more than an auto loan or a checking account; it’s about offering a higher level of service to over 183,000 members. Under the direction of the Board of Directors, Rogue is committed to helping its members out along the way, making local communities better for everyone. A membership with Rogue is open to anyone who lives works, worships, or attends school in the select Oregon and Idaho counties. Stop by any branch or visit www.roguecu.org and learn more about becoming part of something bigger.
