Here’s to four decades well spent: Bill Koehler, the President and CEO of AllSouth Federal Credit Union, is calling it a career.
Mark your calendars for August 14, 2026—that’s when Koehler officially retires after an impressive 40-year run in financial services, with 35 of those years steering the ship at the Columbia, South Carolina-based credit union.
Koehler’s journey with AllSouth reads like a classic “left and came back stronger” story. He first joined the team in 1981, then stepped away to sharpen his skills in auditing and public accounting before returning in 1991 as Vice President and Controller. Think of it as the career equivalent of leaving to train with the masters and coming back ready to level up. By 1993, he’d climbed to Executive Vice President, and just a year later in 1994, he took the CEO reins.
And what a ride it’s been. Under Koehler’s watch, AllSouth didn’t just survive—it thrived. The credit union expanded its footprint with more branches and ATMs, beefed up its tech game, and rolled out new ways to actually help members (you know, the whole point of a credit union). He navigated the organization through some seriously choppy economic waters too, from multiple recessions to the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, he led AllSouth through a significant charter change, transitioning from a community charter to a multi-common bond charter—technical stuff that basically sets the credit union up for future growth.
“Bill played a pivotal role in shaping AllSouth into the organization it is today,” said Walter B. Todd, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Directors. “His leadership, financial stewardship, integrity, and deep commitment to our employees and members have positioned the credit union for long-term success. On behalf of the Board, AllSouth employees, and our members, we are deeply grateful for Bill’s outstanding service and wish him a happy and healthy retirement.”
For his part, Koehler kept it gracious and humble: “Serving this organization has been the honor of my professional career. I am proud of what we have accomplished together and confident in the bright future ahead.”
Enter the Next Chapter
The good news? AllSouth isn’t skipping a beat. The Board of Directors has already tapped Connie Hernandez Vizitei, currently serving as Executive Vice President, to step into the President and CEO role when Koehler retires. Vizitei brings more than 15 years of credit union experience to the table and has spent roughly nine years on AllSouth’s executive management team. Translation: she knows the organization inside and out and is ready to write the next chapter of AllSouth’s story.