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Tom Dluzen celebrates 10 years as President and CEO at Chief Financial Credit Union

Rochester Hills, MI - Tom Dluzen celebrates 10 years leading Chief Financial Credit Union as president and CEO. Dluzen accepted the position in 2010 as the credit union faced possible closure due to the impact of the 2009 mortgage crisis.

The Chief Financial Team, with Dluzen at the helm, was able to navigate through those turbulent years without the need to lay off a single employee. In the past 10 years, Chief has implemented programs that continue to flourish and contribute to more than $90 million in asset growth. Dluzen also established new departments within the credit union, including: Indirect Lending, Collections, Compliance, Card Services, Call Center, HR, Business Development, Marketing and Sales.

“Tom has been a mentor and inspiration to many and perhaps his success is best measured by the numerous people that attribute much of their professional growth to his leadership and guidance,” said Cheryl Boodram, Chief Financial Credit Union vice president of sales and marketing. “Every member of the Executive, Senior Leadership and Director Teams, and most members of the Management and Assistant Management Teams, have been promoted from within the ranks of the credit union. We are a testament to his incredible leadership at Chief.” 

No stranger to leading in times of uncertainty, Dluzen rallied his team to maintain their commitment to serving their members and communities while navigating through the COVID-19 crisis. Under his leadership, Chief Financial was able to pause loan due dates for 90 days for more than 13,000 members, pivot resources to help over 50 organizations with PPP loans, and even provide service to members of other local credit unions forced to close during the early days of the pandemic. In addition, new call center protocols were created to preserve employment for many employees and ensure member calls were answered within seconds despite a drastic increase in call volume.

“It’s a privilege working with such an amazing team,” said Dluzen. “We will continue to be committed to the best service and solutions for our members and the communities we serve. I’m looking forward to the next 10 years.”