Affinity Credit Union CEO Announces Retirement, Names New Chief Executive

November 28, 2023

Des Moines, IA – Affinity Credit Union has named Jeremy Smith its new Chief Executive Officer, succeeding current CEO Jim Dean, who has announced his retirement after leading the credit union for over 5 years. Dean’s retirement will be effective January 31, 2024.

Upon his arrival in 2018, Dean helped establish Affinity’s “Building Better Lives” mission statement, which continues to shape the values and motivation of the credit union. Under Dean’s guidance, Affinity was named a Credit Union Times Luminaries finalist for community impact and was awarded National Credit Union of the Year by the National Association of Federally Insured Credit Unions (NAFCU) for all credit unions less than $500 million in assets.

Dean was also awarded the Impact Award from the Iowa Credit Union Foundation in 2022 for his demonstration of outstanding civic and charitable responsibility.

Prior to his time at Affinity, Dean served as CEO of Oak Trust Credit Union (Illinois) for 27 years.

Incoming CEO Smith assumes the Chief Executive role of the credit union, receiving promotion from his current role as Vice President of Lending.

A lifelong Des Moines native, Smith graduated from Southeast Polk high school, moving on to attend Drake University, where he played football and received his degree in entrepreneurial management.

In addition to leading lending efforts, Smith oversaw collection and retail branch operations within the credit union. Smith brings 10+ years of experience in the credit union industry, with a focus in regulatory compliance and risk.