DES MOINES, Iowa – Tom Griffiths, president/CEO of the Iowa Credit Union League, has joined the list of league CEOs and credit unions that have recently announced their plans to step down this year. Griffiths plans to retire July 1; he'll be 61 years old then. A native of Iowa, the 30-year veteran of the Iowa League interviewed for the position of director of education when he left the Navy. He was hired by then-League President Al Jordan for that job and held different vice president positions before being named president/CEO in 1985. In addition to his responsibilities with the Iowa League, Griffiths has been involved with industry activities on the trade association level as well. He has served as a member of the CUNA Board and sat on the association's seven-person Oversight Task Force which led the Credit Union Campaign for Consumer Choice toward the passage of H.R. 1151, the Credit Union Membership Access Act. In 1998, Griffiths received the Roy F. Bergengren Award for his efforts on that committee. When he leaves the Iowa League in July, Griffiths said he will take memories of many notable events in the history of Iowa's credit unions with him. Under his presidency, for example, Iowa credit unions fought the first court case on the legality of share drafts in the late 1970s. The league also helped secure several legislative improvements to the state credit union code under his tenure and help defeat a number of banker initiatives to tax credit unions. Griffiths said he and his wife Lois plan to stay in Iowa for awhile after he retires. He said the two of them have always thought Hawaii would be a nice place to live, and he hasn't ruled out moving there. His 30-year old daughter Kelly lives in Nashville, Tenn., and Griffiths said, "She'd be very happy if we moved there instead." Griffiths is very comfortable with the shape he's leaving the Iowa League in. "This place will be fine without me around," he said. "I have a great staff, and that's the best legacy I can leave." As for finding his successor, Griffiths said the league's board will handle that "in due course." -

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