(SitNews) Ketchikan, Alaska - Helen L. Mickel will be promoted to Chief Executive Office / President of Tongass Federal Credit Union on July 24 with the retirement of Susan E. Fisher. The announcement was made by Justin Breese, Chair of the TFCU Board of Directors.

Fisher, who has held the position since December 2001, is retiring and moving with her husband, Michael R. Ellis, to Port Angeles WA. A 37-year Alaskan, Fisher earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She moved to Ketchikan in 1999.

Tongass Federal Credit Union, founded in 1963 by Ketchikan teachers and public employees, has branches in Ketchikan, Metlakatla, Thorne Bay and Klawock. It has about 7,300 members, $66 million in assets, $50 million in member deposits, and $41.7 million in loans to members.

Mickel, currently the Chief Operating Officer /Vice President, joined TFCU in April 2003. She has more than three decades’ experience in financial services, previously working for local banks in lending, operations, and managerial positions.

“I am privileged to have the opportunity to lead Tongass Federal Credit Union into the next phase of service and growth. The cooperative model of our credit union allows us to provide exceptional services at affordable prices,” said Mickel.

“We are dedicated to serving our communities through outreach opportunities like our in-school savings program, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, and participation in financial literacy programs. I love being the “local” credit union,” she said. “We live here, and decisions are made here. This promotion is an honor and I look forward to continuing to expand our services and provide benefits to a new generation of credit union members.”

Mickel has lived in Ketchikan since she moved here as a child in 1971. She is a graduate of the Western CUNA Management School and is scheduled to graduate from the University of Alaska Southeast in December with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. She and her husband Guy Mickel have three children and two grandchildren.

When Fisher assumed the CEO job in 2001, TFCU had $23 million in assets, $21.3 million in deposits, $13.2 million in loans, and just under 4,400 members, with Ketchikan as the only branch. TFCU earned a Community Development Financial Institution designation, qualified for a federal loan, built a branch in Metlakatla, opened branches in leased space in Klawock and Thorne Bay, purchased adjoining Ketchikan property and opened its Loan Center. It purchased and demolished older properties on Tuttle Way and Austin Street.

Edited by Mary Kauffman, SitNews

Source of News:

Tongass Federal Credit Union
www.tongassfcu.com

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