SAGINAW, Mich. — The CEO of Family First Credit Union is no longer with the institution after an AI-altered photograph appearing to show her family wearing “Lake America” sweatshirts prompted an online backlash and a public rebuke from the credit union’s board.
Jane Smith is no longer an employee, effective immediately, the credit union told WJRT. Chief Operating Officer Jason Acosta is serving as interim CEO. The $96.7-million credit union did not say whether Smith resigned or was dismissed, or give a reason for her departure.
The leadership change follows days of controversy over a photo Smith posted before a family trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Smith told WJRT that her family took a picture at Detroit Metropolitan Airport and used ChatGPT to make it appear they were wearing matching “Lake America” sweatshirts. They did not own or wear the sweatshirts, the news outlet reported.
According to a report by ABC 12 News, Smith was planning to head out for 10 day trip to Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada with her family on September 11. Before boarding their flight at Halifax, the CEO says she and her family were discussing President Trump’s recent executive order to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America amid the trade war between the two countries.
The “Lake America” wording has political implications amid U.S.-Canada tensions. President Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested Canada should become part of the United States and has referred to the U.S.-Canada border as an “artificially drawn line.”
Initially Shared Privately
Smith said she posted the altered image to her private Facebook page with a label identifying it as AI-generated. Her sister then shared a screenshot publicly without the label, Smith told WJRT. The original post included the caption, “Like our sweatshirts? Not sure Canada will,” followed by “lol lol,” according to the account Smith gave the station.
“We weren’t trying to make a political statement,” Smith told WJRT. She said the family was “kind of poking fun” amid discussion of the “Lake America” name. Smith later described creating and sharing the image as an error in judgment.
As The CU Daily previously reported, Smith apologized after the image spread online. “It was insensitive, distasteful, and in poor judgment,” she said in a statement provided to WJRT. “Though the image did not depict a real event, I understand that the image was hurtful and offensive.”
Family First’s board issued its own statement, saying it “unequivocally disapproves and rejects” the post. Although Smith made it in a personal capacity during a family trip, the board said, “the post is unacceptable.” It said her conduct did not reflect the credit union’s values and that it was determining its next steps.
Death Threats Received
Smith subsequently told WJRT that her family cut short its trip after she received death threats. Reflecting on how viewers interpreted the altered photo as real, she said AI “can make people think something’s real that’s not.”
43 Responses
No being satirical, no political views unless someone deems them the correct political view, no freedom of expression. Got it.
What a shame for things to end this way. Have whatever opinion you want of what was done but turn the page and move on. This wasn’t deserving of death threats and one’s job.
If you lead a company you should be well aware of how sensitive the world is right now and maybe use critical thinking. This is why I post nothing on social media of a personal nature, there’s no upside only downside risk
Doesn’t get anyone fired to support the other side, just saying!!
THIS ^^^
I guess truth hurts, but still fact
The issue is not that she said it. It is that as a Senior Officer of her financial institution and in particular part of the C suite you are always a representative of the organization. There is no time off, and your contractal nature and high level of pay is supposed to be compensating for that.
There is nothing stopping her and her sister from making this and giggling about this in private.
Publicly distributing a highly polical statement that isn’t vetted by the organization ahead of time is extremely unwise and shows a lack of restraint and decorum that is not appropriate for the role. This isn’t new and losing high profile roles for poorly though out statements has been happening since mass media was invented.
The board has too many weak kneed members bowing to liberal hate!
Anonymous
Ridiculous. I hope she sues the pants off them. It’s not even a political statement. It’s at worst tacky. The Board got weak and bowed to some on social media who search for things they think others should be offended by. They didn’t have an upheaval of offended members, and that’s the only thing that should matter.
I agree; it is tacky to “wear” that sweatshirt, but if you don’t think it is a political statement, then I am not sure what planet you are living on. How is it not political?
Canada is/was the US’ biggest ally. DJT is ruining America’s relationships with our allies and being spiteful; this show of support is a loud political statement.
So why is Canada selling uranium to Russia and China to support their militaries nuclear interest?
Agreed, we speak of kindness and inclusion as long as it fits our narrative.
Exactly!
whether or not the shirts were real – it was still offensive. Secondly, she also made a comment about the wildfires saying Trump could buy real estate cheap in Canada. Real funny, aye? Making fun of a situation where acres & acres of land lay in charred ruins, people’s homes burnt to the ground and loss of employment…to say nothing about the environment and all the animals who were likely killed or injured so badly they will die.
Offensive to who? The President of the United States addressed this in an Exceutive Order. When we get to a point in society when you can offend someone for thinking that someone who brutally murders their children should be held accountable, then we know we’ve gone too far with the victimhood, faux outrage, and the voice given to those who decide what others should be offended by, even when they aren’t.
An Executive Order that I am sure will be reversed immediately (as well as the Gulf of “America”) once we have a competent, sane, and non-dictatorial leader at the helm).
Vance isn’t going to reverse that EO
Vance isn’t going to reverse that EO.
Vance won’t; that is true. He isn’t going to be the next president…unless Trump gets removed from office.
Vance isn’t going to be President
Ever
That’s what they said about Trump.
Biden is not running again
HAHAHA, I find a lot of things offensive from the other side of the isle. I don’t think people should be fired or have death threats. I bet you wouldn’t comment about that.
Total BS to fire someone for this.
IT WAS A JOKE!
Who is offended? Canadians? Last I checked FFCU is in America so who cares if Canadian are offended!
MAGA FOREVER!
Democ RATS FOR NEVER!
If I were a member, I would have closed all of my accounts.
No matter whether you are liberal or conservative, when you are the CEO of any company, credit union, or not, you need to be neutral. Who wants to alienate half of your membership? Not me.
Personally, I have strong political beliefs, but as long as I have been in banking, and a member shows their politics, I just smile and nod and mmhmm them until they leave.
Why any CEO would be this idiotic is beyond me. She deserves to lose her job.
It’s beyond you because what she did is patriotic, not idiotic. And it wasn’t political, either. If the exec order came from any other president, this wouldn’t even be a conversation.
How is this patriotic? The executive order would not have been issued by any other president, as no other president needed to distract from a failing economy, his association with a known child predator, and an unjust and unlawful war. Should I go on?
But go ahead and be one of those people who blindly follow the beta male known as Trump.
You accuse Trump supports of being blind followers while regurgitating CNN’s talking points. That rich. Just remember there are more people in the US that support him than think like you. And you think 70+ million people can’t think for themselves or apply common sense. But you’re the smart one, I guess.
You sound like a Trump supporter- babbling, stupid, with terrible dictation. You attached yourself to a far pedophile— you will own that and die on that hill, whether you like it or not.
You are WORTHLESS people.
No other president would issue an order like that just because they’re an overgrown adolescent
Not sure she deserves to lose her job, but she should have known better. Several CEO’s on didn’t lose their jobs for supporting BLM and other organizations. Just saying!!
Strangest of all, Lake Ontario borders neither Detroit nor Halifax- so how was this even relevant to the family trip? I’m also not seeing how whether or not the images were AI generated makes any difference at all.
She was wrong, and she’s paid the price for her choice to create an insensitive image no matter how it was shared. Her CU is in good hands, and the members will continue to be served. The Board did the right thing. Let’s move on.
It’s nice to see an obvious Trump supporter get their life blown up for supporting a fat, spoiled and dying pedophile.
One at a time, if necessary. To hell with every single one of these clowns.
And that comment, hate, name-calling abd defamation is 10x worse that her little AI t-shirt thing.
Your address please.
Why is every single comment from “Anonymous?”
Oh, because there’s nowhere to enter you name.
This is ridiculous. No one deserves to be fired or let go.
Law suit.
At this point she may as well repost it without the AI marker and say FU Canada, you can’t take a f**king joke!!
How was this funny???????????
Hope it was worth it LOL. FAFO