Olan O. Jones, Jr., Eastman Credit Union’s CEO and president, is announcing his retirement effective January 1, 2020. After 22 years heading ECU, Jones says he is looking forward to spending more quality time with his wife, Sylvia, and their family and friends, as well as pursuing interests and hobbies.
Fielding Rolston, ECU’s board chairman says, “Olan came to ECU at an inflection point for the credit union industry and for ECU. He is a natural visionary and has always seemed to know what was just around the bend. However, I think his best attribute as a leader is that he truly cares about the people he serves. When Olan came to ECU, credit unions were just beginning to be recognized as serious alternatives for financial services and he was always striving to ensure that ECU was positioned to do the right things for all the stakeholders—members, staff, and communities.”
For more than two decades, Jones guided ECU through changes, including the move from doing business with only Eastman Chemical Company employees and their families to seeing membership opened to everyone in the communities it serves. During that time, assets have increased from $631 million to $4.8 billion and ECU has received many “top-of-class” accolades on member service, member value, and financial stability. During Jones’ tenure as CEO, ECU returned more than $118 million to members through the extraordinary dividend, created more than 650 new full-time jobs, added 200,000 new members, and donated more than $8.9 million to support the improvement of communities we serve.
“On behalf of the board, senior management, and staff of Eastman Credit Union, I want to say thank you to Olan for his years of service and the leadership role he has played in making ECU the extraordinary organization it is today. Olan’s contributions will always be valued and remembered. His hard work, commitment, and dedication are worthy of admiration. We all wish Olan a happy, fulfilling, and well-deserved retirement,” said Rolston.
The board of directors is also pleased to announce that Kelly Price, ECU executive vice president, will be appointed CEO and president effective January 1, 2020. Price comes to the CEO and president position with almost 25 years of extensive experience in several functions at ECU. Most recently she has been responsible for leading the Lending, Member Services, Operations, and Information Technology areas.
“Like Olan, Kelly shares a passion for this organization, its members, staff, and the communities we serve, and we look forward to continued success under her leadership” said Rolston.
