LBS Financial Credit Union Welcomes New President & CEO to Lead the Organization
Long Beach, CA – August 21, 2023 – LBS Financial Credit Union proudly announces the appointment of its fourth president and CEO in the institution’s 88-year legacy: Sean Hardeman. Formerly serving as the credit union’s executive vice president and chief lending officer, Sean assumed his role as president & CEO on August 18th. Sean’s selection to lead LBS Financial was appointed by the board of directors, succeeding Jeff Napper, who retired on August 17th after an illustrious 46-year tenure with the credit union, including 21 years as president and CEO.
With a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California, Irvine, and a nearly three-decade tenure in the credit union industry, Sean has been an influential presence at LBS Financial. His journey at LBS Financial began as the credit union’s senior vice president of member services from 2011 to 2015, with his most recent role as executive vice president and chief lending officer since 2015. Sean’s leadership has been instrumental in fortifying operational frameworks, elevating the caliber of products and services, attaining historically high member service scores, and sustaining peak performance benchmarks.
Notably, Sean spearheaded the expansion of the credit union’s branch network, overseeing the establishment of the Long Beach State and Long Beach Marina branches. He led initiatives such as the introduction of the credit union’s inaugural mobile banking solution and the streamlining of various processes, advancements like image-enabled ATMs, mobile deposit capture, and enhanced card functionalities.
Prior to his 12 years at LBS Financial, Sean worked for 17 years at one of the largest credit unions in the United States in a variety of leadership roles throughout the credit union, including director of electronic and remote services, regional director of branch operations, director of telephone contact center, vice president of fraud management, and vice president of automated services.
“Sean Hardeman’s deep-rooted understanding of LBS Financial’s culture, combined with his commitment to excellence and unwavering focus on member service, make him the perfect leader for our credit union,” remarked Dr. Jill Baker, board chair and superintendent of the Long Beach Unified School District. “The unanimous decision by our board to appoint Sean as the next president & CEO reflects our collective excitement for the credit union’s future.”
About LBS Financial Credit Union
LBS Financial, founded in 1935 as the Long Beach School District Employees Federal Credit Union, is a member-owned cooperative providing savings, checking , debit cards, credit cards, money market, certificates, IRA, insurance, and investment services. LBS Financial also offers personal, vehicle, boat, and home loans. Their field of membership encompasses fifty cities surrounding the greater Long Beach area, as well as Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, and San Diego Counties. They currently service over 140,000 members with eight branch office locations, convenient electronic access (ATMs, online banking, and mobile banking), and are part of the CO-OP ATM and Shared Branching Networks. LBS Financial Credit Union has over $2 billion in total assets.
