Bob Corwin will become the new president and CEO of the $930million Advantis Credit Union of Milwaukie, Ore. on Oct. 15, the creditunion said.

Corwin currently serves as the CEO of Meritrust Credit Union of Wichita, Kan. Under his leadership,Meritrust CU has grown from $550 million in assets in 2008 to itscurrent $830 million.

Corwin also has served as the executive vice president and COOof the $5 billion First Tech Credit Union, then based in Beaverton,Ore. First Tech is headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif.

“I am excited to return to my home state of Oregon, and I amlooking forward to the opportunity of serving as president/CEO at acredit union highly recognized for its member advocacy,” saidCorwin.

Advantis Board Chair Jake Jensen said Corwin was selectedbecause he is a well-known and highly respected industry leaderwith a proven record of delivering strong operating results.

“The board saw Bob as a great fit to continue Advantis'tradition of creating exceptional financial value for our members,”Jensen said in Friday's announcement.

Corwin will succeed Ron Barrick, who announced his planneddeparture last September in order to give Advantis' board ofdirectors ample time to conduct an executive search. Barrick servedas Advantis president and CEO for more than 25 years.

During Barrick's tenure, Advantis has been recognized 30 timesamong its peers as the No. 1 credit union in the U.S. in returningfinancial value to its members, according to Callahan &Associates, the credit union said.

Last August, Barrick was appointed as vice chair of the Twelfth District'sCommunity Depository Institutions Advisory Council by the FederalReserve Bank of San Francisco, believed to be a first for creditunions.