HONOLULU — Gary Nakata has been named president and CEO of Hawaii Central Federal Credit Union after serving as the organization’s interim president during a leadership transition.
Nakata succeeds longtime President and CEO Drake Tanabe, who retired in 2025 after leading the credit union for nearly two decades. Following Tanabe’s retirement, Nakata was appointed interim president while the board conducted its leadership transition.
Nakata joined Hawaii Central in 2019 as controller and legal counsel. He was later promoted to executive vice president, where he oversaw financial management, strategic planning and operational initiatives, according to the credit union.
Was NCUA Examiner
Before joining Hawaii Central, Nakata served as an examiner with the National Credit Union Administration. He also held senior leadership positions at Hickam Federal Credit Union (now Lokahi FCU), where he served as senior vice president of finance, and at Aloha Pacific Federal Credit Union, where he was vice president and chief financial officer.
In addition to his credit union experience, Nakata has practiced law for nearly three decades. He earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and a Juris Doctor from the McGeorge School of Law.
Also on the Resume
According to Hawaii Central, Nakata also completed the American Bankers Association Compliance School and holds several professional designations, including Credit Union Compliance Expert, Certified Management Accountant, Certified Credit Union Executive and Certified Financial Management. He has also served on the Government Affairs Committee of the Hawaii Credit Union League.
Hawaii Central Federal Credit Union was founded in 1937 and serves more than 17,000 members on Oahu. The credit union has approximately $300 million in assets,
