CEO Hunt leaving Va. Credit Union League

Carrie Hunt is leaving at the end of the month as president and CEO of the Virginia Credit Union League, and Chief Operating Officer Karima Freeman will serve as interim head of the trade association, VACUL announced Tuesday.

Hunt, a seasoned political lobbyist, is leaving to become chief advocacy officer of America’s Credit Unions, a new national trade association formed through the merger of the Credit Union National Association and the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions (NAFCU). She starts in that role March 1, according to a VACUL news release from December 2023.

Freeman, who has been with VACUL for 23 years, manages membership services and works with credit unions on dues, as well as overseeing accounting, human resources and IT functions for the league.

“Karima is a proven leader with decades-long relationships within the Virginia credit union system and a deep knowledge of the league’s operations,” NextMark Credit Union CEO Joe Thomas, VACUL board chairman, said in a statement.

“Each of us at the league is committed to the success of Virginia’s credit unions,” Freeman said. “I’m proud of what we accomplish through the support and engagement of our member credit unions.”

The league is the Virginia trade association for credit unions and includes 102 member-owned, not-for-profit credit unions headquartered in the commonwealth among its membership. VACUL offers training and operation resources for members, as well as lobbying the state legislature and other governmental bodies on behalf of the industry.

Hunt, a William & Mary law graduate, joined VACUL in 2021, and before that, was executive vice president of government affairs and general counsel for NAFCU, managing its legislative, political, regulatory, compliance and research divisions. In 2019 and 2020, she was named to The Hill’s top Washington, D.C.,  lobbyists list.