Remember those 2025 "no amendment amendments" to the SECU bylaws? As an SECU member; if you don't, you should!
It all got started at the 2025 SECU Annual Meeting when our CEO Leigh Brady fumbled a poorly worded, misleading response - best described as impenetrable and pretentious - to a pre-submiitted member question [link].
Follow up inquiries went for naught [link]. It was pointed out that the minutes of the Board of Directors provide official proof of the new, Board approved September, 2025 bylaw amendments [link]. Why not just tell SECU member-owners the facts on these proposed bylaws changes [link] - everybody else seems to know? [link]. Finally, an effort for a straight answer from Ms. Brady was sought through the key SECU Advisory Board network, remember them? :
✔ From the SECU 2025 Annual Report: "Another key resource for SECU is our 3,000 member volunteers. Each SECU branch has an Advisory Board composed of up to 12 volunteers who serve as an important link to connect our membership with our staff and Board of Directors."
✅ The following question was submitted directly from the Advisory Board to Leigh Brady:
October 28, 2025
"Ms. Brady,
As an active advisory board member, and one who firmly believes in interacting with our membership, I have a question asked by a member who asked me to forward the question to you.
The official response from Leigh Brady is in: "You know I can't tell you that."
Ms. Brady, of course, can "tell you that", but that simple truth would look a bit awkward given her 2025 Annual Meeting performance.
What????? No really. Did she say that to Ms. Bell? and to all of us members, since Ms. Bell asked on our behalf. (We are highly discouraged from asking anything of the CEO or Board at the MEMBER owned SECU.)
ReplyDelete"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive."
ReplyDeleteSir Walter Scott
Leigh only admits she was wrong as a last resort and only if there is someone else she can blame it on.
ReplyDeleteIs that a direct quote?
ReplyDelete5:17pm - Asked Ms. Bell that question:
Delete* Her email response 8:52 AM
"Those are her exact words."
Followed up with:
*Jim Blaine 9:20 AM
"Ok. Anything else or just keep it simple? Feel free to add anything else you want included. Try to get it posted a little later ."
* Her response - 10:22 AM
"I have nothing to add."
Not sure what the intent of the question is, but hopefully our CEO Leigh Brady understands that the transparency, credibility question is hers to answer.
This won't go away until our CEO stops taking ill-considered "legal" advice and simply levels with the membership.
Why not trust the member-owners? They'll fully support her on all reasonable issues. Why the fear?
No ill intent. Genuinely curious. I could see the tone of that being conveyed if it was a private matter that the board discussed and Ms. Bell, previously being on the board, would understand that. But it doesn’t seem to be the case here if it pertains to bylaws..
Deleteshe is losing the trust of employees too
ReplyDeleteShe lost that a LONG time ago. Nothing new.
DeleteNot good leadership from our first gal...
ReplyDelete7:28 pm SECU remains an extremely strong organization under Ms. Brady... the really critical lapse appears in governance/member trust.
DeleteShe needs to go and put someone in charge who has actually worked in a branch and understands what our members need.
Deletewe had hoped for better
Delete9:00. So that makes sense. Hire someone who worked in a branch - the archaic and dying delivery channel. You don’t have to work in a branch to know what menbers need. Need someone who knows what decade we’re in and can see the future. Not working in a beach is one of her best strengths.
DeleteI know, let's hire some bankers to advise her on how to run the #2 credit union off the cliff ... yeah that's the ticket!
DeleteRon Johnson of Apple fame, knew what decade J.C. Penny was in.
Delete"In a hurry to prove that his vision for J.C. Penney was the right one, Johnson hired a team of outsiders to fill critical senior-level positions; terminated more than 19,000 employees; ended the use of discounts; and ordered that stores be revamped without testing whether any of his ideas would resonate with customers.
After all, what could go wrong? Johnson had created the Apple Store, and it was the most profitable retail store in the world.
Sixteen months after becoming CEO, Johnson was fired by the same board that had hailed him as a savior of the company. In 2012, at the end of Johnson’s first year as CEO, same-store sales fell 25 percent resulting in a $4.3 billion decrease in revenue. The company recorded a $1 billion loss..."
@ 7:39am - this is the type of mindset that has been allowed and has spread under Leigh''s leadership. Will let the readers of this blog determine if that is healthy for the organization.
DeleteWhat is the point of all of the bylaws issues? We will all find out when it is time.
ReplyDeleteyes. That's correct. When the Board and CEO determine that it is okay for the members to know about what has already been done. ELTs and Boards in member owned credit unions have no obligations by law to the membership to let them know what is going on. At least not in North Carolina. No one here seems to be enforcing any laws about Credit union Governance. Who has the money to sue an organization with 40 lawyers?
Delete7:38 - If that's the case, why doesn't Leigh just say that? First, dancing around the question and at the annual meeting and now saying "... I can' tell you that"? (someone even claimed she said "no") What's the truth?
Deleteif she doesn't trust her own judgment neither will we.
Deletelet's ask the N.C. Administrator of Credit Unions ... oh wait .... nevermind .....
ReplyDelete