Rod Calvao, former president/CEO of the $7.5 billion San Diego County Credit Union, who served the credit union industry for nearly four decades, passed away Aug. 31, the cooperative announced. He was 69.
“We mourn the loss of our dear friend Rod and our thoughts go out to his wife Barbara as well as his entire family,” SDCCU President and CEO Teresa Halleck, said in a prepared statement.
In its prepared statement, SDCCU also said that Calvao was tremendously proud of the credit union’s accomplishments and his bright smile and cheerful personality will be greatly missed by those who knew him.
“I love talking about this credit union,” Calvao said in a CU Times interview in 2000. “I’m much more comfortable talking about it than about myself.”
During his 15-year tenure as president/ CEO of SDCCU from 1992 to 2007, the organization grew from 11 branches and $499 million in assets to 24 branches and $4 billion in assets.
His achievements were highlighted in a 2007 profile article published in San Diego magazine, which recognized him as one of the region’s outstanding CEOs.
“If you listen to your employees, they will tell you what the customers are asking for,” Calvao said in the profile article. “They will also tell you the tools they need to do their jobs.”
Under Calvao’s leadership, he implemented employee forums to stay updated on the needs of employees and customers. “It requires getting a whole team of managers who have the kind of ego and management style who aren’t threatened by listening to suggestions and sometimes receiving concerns from employees,” Calvao said.
The magazine also noted that during Calvao‘s tenure, SDCCU was voted the best credit union in the county four years in a row.
Calvao first joined the credit union’s supervisory committee in January 1973 and was elected to the board of directors in December 1974. Over the years, Calvao served in various roles on the board of directors. Most recently, he was the board chair until he retired in May of 2014.
Before launching his credit union career, Calvao was an auditor and controller for San Diego County for 11 years.
