From Deseret News archives:
Credit unions name president
League plans on being engaged in the political process
Simpson, 34, will take the ULCU reins immediately, said Steve Christensen, president of Tooele Federal Credit Union and chairman of the ULCU board. Simpson succeeds the league's longtime president, Scott Earl, who announced his resignation Nov. 26, citing personal reasons.
Simpson joined the league in April 2002 as senior vice president for governmental affairs. Prior to that, he served two stints at the helm of the Utah Republican Party, where he directed the party's election efforts in the 2000 and 2002 races.
"I am humbled by the confidence placed in me by the board, especially given my short time within the credit union movement," Simpson said in a statement. "Luckily, I have a really good, seasoned league executive team already in place to help me along and support our efforts."
Though other candidates had more experience in the credit union industry, Christensen said the board felt Simpson was the best fit for the job.
"We looked at his experience, both in his work with the Republican Party and his experience overall, and his attitude in working with the league, and we felt confident he could fulfill what is required of him," Christensen said.
In choosing Simpson, the league also sent a strong message: it will be engaged in the political process.
"It signals that we're becoming more of a force to be reckoned with," Christensen said. "And yes, it means there will be more emphasis in working with our lawmakers."
In that, Simpson pledged to "hit the ground running."
"We have a legislative session fast approaching and are in the early days of a very important election cycle. . . . There is clearly a great deal of work to be done, especially with an open governor's seat," he said.
E-mail: jnii@desnews.com
