Appalachian Community Federal Credit Union in Gray, Tenn., has named Kelly Smith as interim CEO.
Ron Scott had recently resigned as CEO to “move back West to be with his family full time,” according to a letter to members last week from Royden Russell, the $234 million-asset institution’s chairman. Scott passed away late Thursday or early Friday, according to a credit union spokesman. A cause of death was unknown.
“Ron served eight years as CEO, leading the credit union through a period of growth in assets and technology as well as service to low-income populations,” Russell wrote in the letter.
Scott joined Appalachian Community in July 2010, according to his LinkedIn profile. Before that, he had served as a vice president at the now $2.5 billion-asset Provident Credit Union of Redwood City, Calif.
Russell also said in the letter that Smith will serve as interim CEO until Appalachian Community completes its nationwide search for a permanent replacement. Smith has almost 25 years of experience in the credit union industry, Russell said.
“Kelly is well equipped to lead ACFCU through this transition period,” Russell added in the letter.
Smith has served as a senior vice president of strategic assurance for the credit union since November, according to her LinkedIn page. Prior to that, she held positions at the now $120 million-asset Santa Cruz Community Credit Union in California and the now $476 million-asset CBC Federal Credit Union of Oxnard, Calif.
Appalachian Community posted net income of about $2.1 million through the first nine months of 2018, up about 8 percent from the same period in 2017.
