Movers & Shakers
Oram announces retirement from Idaho Central Credit Union
Idaho Central Credit Union (ICCU) Chief Executive Officer and President, Kent Oram, has announced his retirement effective Dec. 31. The Board of Directors has unanimously selected Brenda Worrell, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, as the next CEO and president.
Oram joined ICCU in 1984 and was named CEO in 2007. During his CEO tenure, ICCU grew from $613 million to $8.7 billion in assets, $520 million to $7.4 billion in loans, $536 million to $7.7 billion in deposits, 67,797 members to 516,538 members, 249 team members to 1,700 team members and from 18 branch locations to 46. Oram was selected as the Credit Union Executive Society’s (CUES) Outstanding Chief Executive in 2013 and was inducted into the CUES Hall of Fame in 2014. He has been recognized as an Idaho Business Leader of the Year, Idaho Business Review CEO of Influence, and Idaho Business Review ICON. Oram recently served as Chair of the Northwest Credit Union Association. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Portneuf Medical Center, as well as the Board of Directors for the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce.
Oram is a proponent of workplace culture and the impacts it has on team members and ICCU’s members. ICCU has been selected as the Best Place to Work in Idaho numerous times during the past 10 years and ICCU’s interactions and contributions to its communities are impressive.
“It has been the professional honor of my life to lead Idaho Central Credit Union’s Green Team. Our mission is to help our members achieve financial success and we fulfill that mission many times daily,” Oram said. “I could not have been an effective CEO without the support of my family, particularly my lovely wife of 43 years, Dawnette. I am excited to begin the next chapter as a full-time husband, father to my three daughters Holly (Tony), Jodi, and Noelle (Clark), and Papa to our 13 grandkids.”
“Idaho Central Credit Union is fortunate that Kent chose to make ICCU his professional home. We have the utmost respect and admiration for how he has led Idaho Central Credit Union for the past 15 years. We thank him for his many contributions and wish him well," said Troy Neu, Idaho Central Credit Union board chair.
Worrell began her career with Idaho Central Credit Union in 1996. She has held various roles from Accounting Officer to Senior Vice President. Most recently, Worrell is ICCU’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Her leadership, project management, organizational, and technical skills are exceptional. She has directed ICCU’s workplace culture measurement and improvement efforts for more than a decade. Worrell has led the charge in serving underserved communities and small businesses in Idaho, by focusing the credit union’s efforts to expand products and services to meet their needs and earning Idaho Central the Juntos Avanzamos designation. Her vast experience and expertise, not only at ICCU but as an entrepreneur with her husband Joe Worrell, give her tremendous insights on the needs of ICCU’s members. She has a deep and detailed understanding of all the complicated workings of a large credit union.
Worrell serves on the Board of CURQL Collective, a collaborative organization that brings investment capital, credit unions, and Fintech together to revolutionize and innovate how people engage with their money. She is instrumental in the Northwest Credit Union Association’s efforts to review and adopt both law and regulation beneficial to credit unions. Worrell is a graduate of the CUES CEO Institute and received the Certified Chief Executive (CCE) designation. She has a master’s degree with an accounting emphasis from Idaho State University and is an Excellence in Finance award winner.
“It is a tremendous honor to lead ICCU in this new role. I am proud of everything we have accomplished over the last 26 years and am thankful for Kent’s leadership and mentoring," Worrell said. "I love our mission and the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of our members and help them achieve financial success. I look forward to continuing our focus on delivering an exceptional member service experience and keeping ICCU a great place for our team members to work.”
“Brenda is uniquely qualified to lead Idaho Central Credit Union. I know she will flourish and lead ICCU in amazing ways. She has the unanimous support of both the Board of Directors and the leadership team. I know she is ready and I’m proud of her,” Oram said.
“Brenda is the right person for the job. We (the Board of Directors) have observed her talents and abilities for many years and are excited for the future at Idaho Central Credit Union,” Neu said.
Worrell will take the reins of the organization on Jan. 1, 2023, and looks forward to continuing the tremendous impact ICCU has on its communities, its members, and the Green Team.
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