JAY — Otis Federal Credit Union has appointed Kim Turner of Livermore as its president/CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2018. The credit union serves more than 10,839 members and holds more than $161 million in assets, employing 27 people from local communities. Turner’s appointment follows current president/CEO Roland Poirier’s retirement announcement. Poirier has served in the role for 31 years.
“Kim’s passion for members and her ideal of member service top priority has shown since her first being hired,” he said. “She constantly … works to make the credit union a better organization for our members. She has dedicated time to further educating herself over the last four years, specifically about credit unions and management.”
Poirier noted he was pleased to see someone promoted to the position from within the credit union who “will be able to hit the ground running” and who understands the culture, but who 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],” says Poirier, “Kim 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.”
“The Board of Directors of OTIS FCU welcomes Kim Turner as our new CEO,” said Duane Lake, chairman of the board of directors. “Her experience working at Synergent, as well as working with Roland for the past few years, made her the best candidate. 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, she 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 managed credit union accounts, ensuring 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 more than 650 credit unions.
“I am very honored [by] the opportunity to serve the members and employees in this new capacity,” noted 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 — getting to know each member I work with, understanding their financial needs and wants, and making sure 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 is on the town of Livermore planning board and on the Maine Credit Union League Governmental Affairs Committee. She is also chairwoman of the Jay-Livermore-Livermore Falls Chamber of Commerce, chairwoman of the Maine Credit Union League Young Professional Network, and 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.
