With gratitude, the Board of Directors of Ascent Credit Union announce the retirement on July 1st of President and Chief Executive Officer, Vickie van der Have. Brock R. Mortensen, the credit union’s Executive Vice President will succeed Ms. van der Have as the new President and CEO. Ms. van der Have shared her retirement plan with the Board over a year ago, allowing for the successful transition of the incoming CEO.
Ms. van der Have’s credit union career spanned 43 years, seventeen of which as the CEO of Ascent Credit Union where she guided the outstanding growth and prominence of the credit union in the Weber, Davis, Morgan, and Box Elder communities. Many of the community involvement events that the credit union sponsors and participates in today grew from her desire to give back to others in the communities that the credit union serves.
During her tenure as President/CEO, Ascent Credit Union has grown from $53 million in assets to its current $143 million asset size. Ms. van der Have was instrumental in the credit union’s conversion to a state of the art operating system that still serves members’ needs today. She also recognized the need for early adoption of mobile and online technologies to serve as financial channels for members.
Under her leadership, the credit union has consistently been recognized by Callahan and Associates as one of the top performing credit unions in the United States, even at one point ranking 3rd in the Nation in its asset size for overall performance. The credit union has also been recognized by Credit Union Journal as one of the best places to work among credit unions.
The Ogden native is an alumnus of Weber State University, and received her Bachelors and MBA in finance and marketing from Westminster College of Salt Lake City. During her career, she also served the credit union industry at three other credit unions in a variety of roles. Vickie served on a number of boards over the years, including the Credit Union Executives Society, the Northern Utah Chapter of the American Red Cross, and the Ogden School Foundation.
“Vickie has been a tremendous leader for our credit union and has had a powerful influence on the financial services industry in our area. We are grateful for all she has done for the credit union and our community,” said Chuck Ulrich, Chairman of the Board at Ascent Credit Union.
The Board gives a heartfelt thanks to Vickie for her 17 years as the credit union’s CEO and wishes her the very best in retirement. An Open House for members and the community honoring Vickie will be held later this summer.