ALEXANDRIA, Va.-Julie Starnes, executive assistant to NCUA Vice Chair JoAnn Johnson, is packing up and moving back to Iowa. "[I] hate to lose her," she said. "I am really grateful that I had her.She's well-respected in the credit union community." Starnes was formerly with the Iowa league, where she and Johnson-then in the state legislature-met in 1994. "I've had a wonderful opportunity here," Starnes told Credit Union Times. "[Vice Chair Johnson] is a personal friend and a professional friend." However, Starnes said she could not deny her feelings that she wanted to be closer to home in Cedar Rapids where she and her husband were raised. While she, her husband and 17-month old son, Sam, have made trips back to Iowa, Starnes admitted that he really missed having a family network close by. "She has her priorities straight, so I don't begrudge her," Johnson commented. Starnes is currently searching for a job upon her return to Iowa. She has served in Johnson's office since last March. The vice chair is in the final stages of finding someone to take over the executive assistant position, which she expects to be completed shortly.