O Bee Credit Union welcomes former CEO Bruce Cramer as interim CEO following the resignation of James Collins, effective August 21, 2023. A search for a permanent replacement is underway.

Bruce Cramer brings nearly 40 years of experience with O Bee to his new role. He served as CEO for 24 years until his retirement in 2010. During that time, he guided the credit union from a select employee group (SEG) membership model to an open charter membership, which made O Bee membership available to anyone living or working in Washington State. He has spent the last decade serving on the O Bee Supervisory Committee. Experienced in all facets of credit union operations, Bruce is welcomed back enthusiastically.

"We thank James Collins for his leadership over the past 12 years and wish him well,” says Cramer. “O Bee is well situated with its current leadership to move forward with initiatives to reshape our local communities through investing in our members and businesses."

James Collins began his career with O Bee in 2002, serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer until his promotion to CEO in 2010. During his tenure, he oversaw tremendous growth at the credit union, where assets grew by nearly 600% and branch locations increased from two to seven, including two in Pierce County.

James has been a volunteer for more than 15 years with the Pierce County Search and Rescue Search Dog program, donating hundreds of hours of his time and talent. He is also a regular contributor to CUNA Magazine as a humor writer. Thank you, James, for all you did for O Bee and the community.

A solid foundation of leadership at O Bee continues to guide the credit union. Our Executive Management Team collectively has over 90 years of experience at O Bee. Guided by our Board of Directors, the O Bee team remains committed to our strategic plan, which focuses on the continued strength of the credit union and investment in our communities.

If you want to contact Bruce directly, feel free to email him at bcramer@obee.com.
You can contact him by phone at 360-943-0740 Ext. 2146.