Laida Garcia has been named President and CEO of $275M floridacentral Credit Union. Garcia served as the credit union’s Executive Vice President for eight years and succeeds long-time CEO Ed Gallagly following a battle with liver cancer that claimed his life in March.  

Garcia’s credit union career spans 30 years, with 14 years spent in senior level executive positions.  She serves on the Board of Directors of the Credit Union National Association, is Board Treasurer of the National Credit Union Foundation, and is past Chairman of the Florida Credit Union League.  Garcia was also an inaugural member of Filene Research Institute’s I-3 innovation work group – a team charged with the challenge to identify, develop and implement ideas that will help credit unions to better serve their members and communities.

floridacentral Credit Union, headquartered in Tampa, is 38,000 members strong and operates eight branch offices. The credit union has received notable recognition in the area of member service, community involvement, and commitment to the ideals and principles of credit union philosophy. It is recipient of the Roy F. Bergengren Award for High Achievement, the Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Recognition Award, and the Louise Herring Award for Philosophy in Action.