On Thursday, Oct. 26, Credit Union Times published an exclusive profile of Merrimack Valley Credit Union’s (MVCU) President & CEO John J. Howard. The Q&A-style profile, titled “My Journey to Credit Union Leadership,” detailed Howard’s career in banking, the unique skills and experience that he brings to his role and the challenges he has overcome to become a credit union leader.
Howard, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps., became president & CEO of MVCU in 2018 following a merger with Bridgewater Credit Union where he had been president & CEO since 2015. Since then, the institution has grown into the fifth largest credit union in Massachusetts with $2.3 billion in assets following a merger with RTN Federal Credit Union earlier this year.
Howard is an enthusiastic champion of the credit union movement and a passionate leader. The development of MVCU’s company culture that he led was recognized when Boston Business Journal named MVCU one of its Best Places to Work this spring. Additionally, Howard was recently named CEO of the Year during the Cooperative Credit Union Association’s annual APEX conference on Oct. 12.
In the Credit Union Times profile, Howard described the big-picture impact he hopes to make at both MVCU and beyond in the credit union community. “I believe the reason people ‘love’ their financial institution is because they feel the organization will be there for them when some unexpected or stressful financial situation arises,” Howard said. “My greatest aspiration is to work with our team to build a credit union that is truly and wholly supportive of our members. When they come to us for help, we have a machine built that can help them find a solution. I envision our credit union team walking arm in arm with members to help them clear any financial obstacles that are in their way!”
Click here to read the full profile or visit the Credit Union Times.