SMITHFIELD, R.I. (May 26, 2022) – After 44 years of service to Navigant Credit Union, its members across Rhode Island, and the national credit union industry at large, Gary E. Furtado has announced his plans to retire from his position as Navigant Credit Union’s President & CEO by the end of the year.
Operating with the benefit of advanced notice of Furtado’s retirement plans, Navigant Credit Union’s Board of Directors has formed a committee to conduct a comprehensive, national search for his successor. Furtado will continue to serve as President/CEO while the search is ongoing, and will work with his successor and the Board on a transition plan when a decision is made. The Board expects to name a successor in in the coming months.
“Serving as Navigant Credit Union’s President & CEO has been a privilege, an honor, and one of my life’s greatest joys. I feel blessed to have had an exciting, long, and successful career, surrounded by talented and passionate colleagues. I offer my sincere gratitude to Navigant Credit Union’s members, our employees, our board of directors, and our friends and neighbors across Rhode Island. Together, we’ve built something special that will last,” Furtado said.
“I will forever be a believer in the inherent value member-owned credit unions bring to the communities they serve, and I am proud to have spent the last 44 years playing a role in bringing that value to tens of thousands of Rhode Islanders,” Furtado continued. “As I step back to spend more time with my wife, children and grandchildren, I look forward to seeing the exciting ways Navigant Credit Union will continue to grow and innovate in the years to come.”
Gary has spent his entire professional career serving the members of Navigant Credit Union. He joined Navigant Credit Union, then known as Credit Union Central Falls, as an accountant back in 1978, shortly after completing his degree at Bryant University. He was named President/CEO in 1987, a position he has held for the last 35 years. Under his leadership, Navigant Credit Union grew – strategically and exponentially – from a one-branch credit union in Central Falls to its current role as Rhode Island’s largest member-owned credit union. Today, Navigant Credit Union serves more than 125,000 members across 23 physical branch locations in every corner of the state, and operated more than $3 billion in total assets.
“Gary Furtado is a bona fide visionary leader, a quintessential representative of credit union principles and values, and a respected mentor and friend to the countless colleagues he’s touched over the course of his career. His impact on Navigant Credit Union, Rhode Island’s business community, and the national credit union industry truly cannot be overstated. On behalf of the Board and Navigant Credit Union’s entire community, I wish him well on his retirement,” said Ann Kashmanian, Chair, Navigant Credit Union Board of Directors.
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