KENNEWICK, Wash.–Doug Wadsworth, the CEO of Tri-Cities Community FCU, who has risen to prominence nationally in recent years for his work championing small credit unions and for creating the Endangered Small Credit Union Defense (ESCUD), has announced plans to retire in early 2027.
The $74.6-million Tri-CU has selected its current VP of lending, Trevor Galey, to succeed Wadsworth. Wadsworth said he will be focused on preparing Galey for the role over the next year.
“He has passion, skill and energy, to help Tri-CU thrive and evolve – he will be great!” Wadsworth said in a post on Linked In. “I have also offered to support our CU in a volunteer capacity after retirement, and the board is eager to take me up on that.”
As for the fate of the Endangered Small CU Defense, Wadsworth said he plans to continue leading the nonprofit and advocating for the health and survival of small CUs through regulatory relief, while “living our cooperative mission of ‘giving back’ to our members and communities. So, this effort will only grow.”
A Unique New Role
Wadsworth is exiting to take a job that may be a first for a credit union CEO—he plans to return to his “roots” and take over his father’s commercial fishing business in Alaska as a Bristol Bay Tender Captain.
Wadsworth said he is excited about the change, because the fishing business only involves working three months out of the year.
Wadsworth has authored numerous pieces in the CU Daily’s opinion section, most recently here and here.
Below, Doug Wadsworth shared this post on LinkedIn of his career in credit unions.
One Response
This picture is actually just from my time as CEO at Tri-CU (I actually had my first CU job in 2003). – Doug