FirstLight Names Margie Salazar Chief Executive Officer
FirstLight Federal Credit Union ($1.5B, El Paso, TX) has selected Margie Salazar to serve as chief executive officer (CEO). Salazar previously served as chief financial officer of FirstLight Federal Credit Union and will succeed long-time CEO Karl Murphy on February 1, 2023. She was placed by DDJ Myers, the well-known leadership development firm. “Working with the DDJ Myers team helped me better prepare for the process,” Salazar says. “As my first time going through the CEO hiring process, I wasn’t sure what to expect but Deedee walked me through each step and provided valuable feedback on areas of focus.”
"Margie is an accomplished leader with extensive experience in the financial industry. I have had the pleasure of working with Margie for many years and know she has the spirit and temperament to lead our credit union. She understands the needs of our members, our employees, and our community stakeholders," said Karl Murphy. "Margie is an innovator in the finance space and will thoughtfully guide FirstLight into the future," he added.
Salazar has worked at the credit union for 25 years, starting her career as a teller while attending college. During her career, she has held several positions overseeing various areas of the FirstLight, including branch operations, marketing, human resources, consumer, mortgage and business lending, asset quality, E-Services and most recently finance and risk management.
"I am excited, grateful, and humbled,” says Salazar. "I am extremely passionate about the credit union movement and our over-arching mantra of ‘people helping people.’ And as a proud Latina from El Paso, I look forward to building upon our mission of improving lives so our members and community alike can achieve their dreams.”
Margie obtained her Bachelor of Business degree in Marketing and Management from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). She is active in the credit union industry and a community advocate – having served as President of the Board of the El Paso Chapter of Credit Unions and President for the Armed Services YMCA. She is currently a member of the National Association of Latino Credit Unions and Professionals and Chair of the Board for the YMCA of El Paso. She also serves on the advisory council for UTEP’s El Paso Banking Academy.