(retired) President & CEO, Ventura County CU
Ventura, CA
Joseph Schroeder, a long-time leader in the California Credit Union movement, is the recently retired President/C EO of Ventura County Credit Union
Schroeder became a CEO of one of the 50 largest Credit Unions in California at the age of 35. He has more than three decades of senior-level Credit Union management experience as President/CEO at three of southern California’s largest Credit Unions and as a vice president over both operational and marketing departments. Schroeder earned his bachelor’s degree in communication arts and an MBA from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He is active and well-regarded in the industry, having served on the Board of the CO-OP ATM Network, an FSCC audit committee and was a founding member of the Marketing Association of California (now Marketing Association of Credit Unions), and served as chairman. He has served as the representative from California on the Credit Union Legislative Action Committee, serves on the Government Affairs Committee and formally served on an advisory committee to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). He is also the former Chair of the Board of Member Business Lending (MBL) based in Salt Lake City, Utah. His community involvement includes Chairman on the Board of FOOD Share, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting hunger in Ventura County. He is also a Board Member of the Foundation of Ventura County Credit Union.
In 2013, the California and Nevada Credit Union League awarded Schroeder with the Unsung Hero Award for his leadership. In 2014, the California Credit Union League awarded Schroeder the Distinguished Service Award which is given to recognize efforts that have significantly benefited the Credit Union community. In 2015, the Credit Union House in Washington D.C. inducted Schroeder in to the Hall of Leaders. Schroeder has been recognized by El Concilio Family Services during its 28th Annual Latino Leadership Awards for outstanding contributions to improve the quality of life of the underserved Latino Community. In 2019, he received the "HE for SHE" award from the World Council of Credit Unions' Global Women's Leadership Network. In 2020, Schroeder received the Leo Shapiro Award, which is the highest honor recognizing lifetime achievement from the California and Nevada Credit Union League.
Ventura County Credit Union is the largest Credit Union headquartered in Ventura County, with eight offices, nearly 80,000 members and over $1 billion in total assets. VCCU has been selected as the Best Financial Institution in the county for ten straight years by the readers of the Ventura County Star.
