After serving as interim president/CEO of Delta Community CreditUnion since Jan. 1, Hank Halter has been named the permanentpresident/CEO, the cooperative announced Monday.

“Over the last three months, I've been able to meet and workwith the talented group of leaders and employees who have madeDelta Community one of the strongest and highly respectedcredit unions in the country,” Halter said.

“Our employees believe deeply in our mission to provideoutstanding value and exceptional service on the deposit and loanproducts and services people use every day,” Halter added.

Halter succeeds Rick Foley, who retired in December 2012 after eight years atthe helm and 26 years of service at the $4.3 billion DeltaCommunity in Atlanta.

Jim Diffley, chairman of Delta Community's board of directors,said the board took the time it needed to do an extensive searchfor a leader who could build on the credit union's success andunique culture.

“We interviewed some very experienced candidates but ultimatelycame back to Hank as our first choice for the job,” Diffley said.“During his interim appointment, Hank demonstrated strongleadership skills and established an excellent working relationshipwith the credit union's management team and employees.”

A certified public accountant, Halter worked at Delta Air Linesfrom 1998 to 2012. He served in a number of finance positions therebefore being promoted to chief financial officer in 2008, accordingto Delta Community.

Prior to Delta Air Lines, Halter worked at American Airlines andErnst & Young.

In addition to Delta Community's board, he also serves on theboard of directors of Erickson Air-Crane where he is chairman oftheir audit committee, and the Atlanta Police Foundation.

Halter holds a bachelor of science degree in accountancy fromVillanova University and a master of business administration degreefrom Duke University.

Founded in 1940, Delta Community serves more than 270,000members.