Search committee getting the word out about opening of WesCorp's top spot; CU experience not essential

SAN DIMAS, Calif. – The search committee tasked with finding the successor to WesCorp President/CEO Dick Johnson, who announced his retirement last month, is spreading the word about the opening of the top spot at the nation’s largest corporate. The committee, through an outside firm, has contacted the CEOs of the top 100 credit unions (by asset size); CEOs of corporate CUs; key leaders at the Federal Reserve and Federal Home Loan Banks; and leaders at other pertinent financial services organizations to alert them that the position is open. “You don’t really bring in people with ads. You let people know there’s an opening, and you ask them if they know if anyone is interested,” said Henry Wirz, president/CEO of SAFE CU and chairman of the search committee. “We still have not selected a search firm. We have sent out an RFP and received three back,” he said. Wirz said the candidate does not have to have a credit union background. “We have a profile. What we’re trying to do is not create a situation where we are only going to get people from within the industry. We want to broaden it. Look at all the great things Dan Mica, a former congressman, has done for CUNA,” said Wirz. As of now no candidates have surfaced from within WesCorp, but that can quickly change said Wirz. Johnson, as first reported when he announced his retirement, is very involved with the search process. “He’s intimately involved. He’s provided us with thoughts about people we ought to be talking with. He’s helped us develop a profile for the new CEO,” said Wirz. The prominence of the position is not lost on the committee as it conducts its search. “This is one of the premiere jobs, coveted in the corporate world. It’s one of the key positions in the entire credit union movement. We’re looking at this as something we’re doing for the entire system.” The four-person search committee plans to develop a list of about 10 candidates and whittle that down by about half so the board can step in and interview the best of the best, said Wirz. “As Dick would say, we’re like the Marines, `looking for a few good people.’ ” [email protected]