Heartland Credit Union in Springfield, Ill., has selected Aaron Rios as its new CEO following a national search conducted by executive search and leadership development firm DDJ Myers.
He succeeded Tom Lex, who retired.
"We are excited to welcome Aaron as our next CEO," Jane Kiel, board chair for Heartland, said. "His extensive experience in financial services and proven leadership make him well-suited to guide Heartland Credit Union into its next chapter. We are confident he will continue the strong tradition of service while identifying new opportunities to support our employees, our members and the communities we serve. We also want to thank Tom Lex for his remarkable 45 years of service to Heartland Credit Union and to the credit union industry. His leadership and dedication have made a lasting impact on our organization and the community."
Rios has more than 23 years of experience in the financial services industry, including executive roles at Citigroup, Global Bank, Midland States Bank and QCR Holdings, and most recently as COO at Merrick Bank, where he helped lead an operations transformation. He has overseen branch banking, risk and regulatory compliance, back-office operations, financial management, digital initiatives and staff development.
"I want to thank Jane Kiel and the entire board of directors for their trust and confidence," Rios said. "My family and I are excited to make Springfield our new home, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to work alongside the talented team at Heartland Credit Union. I look forward to building relationships with our employees, serving our members, and becoming an active part of the community."
Outside of work, Rios lives with his wife and three children. Their son plays golf at Upper Iowa University, their eldest daughter plays softball at the University of Illinois Chicago, and their youngest daughter is a freshman at Eastern Illinois University and plays on the softball team. In his free time, he enjoys golf, coaching basketball and supporting local youth sports.
Joyce Moed can be reached at joyce.moed@arc-network.com.
© Touchpoint Markets, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.