The community of the $3.1 billion Northwest Federal Credit Union is mourning the loss of Kevin Walrath, senior vice president of risk, who died Jan. 5, the Herndon, Va.-based credit union said Monday.
He was 52.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our friend and colleague, Kevin Walrath,” Northwest FCU President and CEO of Northwest Federal, Chris McDonald, said in a prepared statement. “He was, first and foremost, a generous human being devoting time and resources to the NWFCU Foundation and the Financial Awareness Network, as well as a dedicated leader at the credit union.”
An armed services veteran and commissioned officer from West Point, Walrath first joined the credit union movement in 2005 when he was hired as vice president of investment services at the $2 billion NASA Federal Credit Union in Upper Marlboro, Md.
A year later, he joined Northwest Capital Management LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Northwest FCU and served as NWCM’s senior vice president and chief operating officer. In that role, Walrath was recognized as one of LPL Financial’s Program Managers of the Year in 2012.
In 2014, he was named senior vice president of retail sales and was responsible for the credit union’s branch operations, marketing and strategy. In September 2015, he became Northwest FCU’s senior vice president of risk and oversaw compliance, fraud mitigation, BSA and enterprise risk. Walrath served an integral role in developing the risk framework for the credit union and ensuring that best practices were put into place to reduce risk and fraud, the credit union said in its prepared statement.
Walrath also worked with the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions and the Virginia Credit Union League to lobby for reforms to benefit credit unions, and he recently met with members of Congress at the start of the 115th Congressional session.
He is survived by his wife, Daniela, son, Brycen, daughter, Alexandra, parents, Barry and Nancy Walrath and sister, Paige Walrath.
Memorial services will be held at St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church in Annandale on Thursday at 11 a.m. The family will receive guests at 10 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Kevin Walrath’s memory to St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church, 8617 Little River Turnpike, Annandale, Va., 22003.
