Daily News

American Eagle Financial Credit Union Names Ryan McEleney SVP, Chief People Officer

EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — American Eagle Financial Credit Union (AEFCU) announced the appointment of Ryan McEleney as senior vice president, chief people officer. As CPO, McEleney will lead the advancement of talent-management and human-capital-development strategies, as well as cultivate workforce plans and programs that align with the organization’s overall business objectives.

McEleney will serve as a member of the company’s executive leadership team, reporting directly to the president and CEO. American Eagle’s current president and CEO, Dean Marchessault, announced earlier this year that he will retire at the end of 2021, at which time the credit union’s current Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer Howard Brady will assume the role of president and CEO.

McEleney brings nearly 20 years of human-resources and training experience to American Eagle, most recently serving as senior vice president, director of HR Analytics & Technology at Webster Bank. He previously held positions in the areas of incentive compensation, HR strategy, and talent and culture programs. He has been a featured speaker at HR Leaders, the HR Leadership Summit, Innovate Work, Future of Work, and HR for Financial Services, to name a few, and has also been a guest lecturer at Southern Connecticut State University.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome Ryan to our executive team,” Marchessault said. “We feel he is the right leader to help us maintain our inclusive, engaged, and high-performing culture, while managing the evolving demands of talent development.”

Brady added that “there have been many changes over the last year and a half, but one constant is that American Eagle has remained committed to ensuring that every decision is made with our employees’ safety and wellness in mind. We immediately felt that Ryan understood our culture, and we’re confident that he is the right fit to take us into the future.”

McEleney is a senior certified professional from the Society of Human Resources Management. He earned his bachelor’s degree in general studies from the University of Connecticut and graduated from the Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning in 2015. He has a Six Sigma green belt from Central Connecticut State University in addition to both his leadership certification and his culture certification from the Disney Institute. He also has an advanced facilitation certificate from the Langevin Institute.

McEleney currently serves as director and co-chair of the diversity, equity and inclusion committee for the Governor’s Prevention Partnership (GPP). He also co-founded, and now serves as a director of, Walk with Us, an organization supporting families impacted by brain cancer.