Great Lakes Credit Union (GLCU) is excited to announce Patrick Basler as the new Chief Experience Officer for the credit union. Basler comes with an extensive credit union background with over 25 years of credit union industry experience.

Basler most recently served at the Illinois Credit Union League (ICUL).  He joined ICUL in 2015 as the Chief Strategy Officer for their service corporation, Envisant, before being promoted to EVP/COO of ICUL.  Basler also served on the ICUL Board during his tenure as CEO of First Financial Credit Union in Chicago. In addition, he has held credit union leadership roles in WI, at various credit unions and a Credit Union Service Organization (CUSO). A CUSO is an organization that is owned by credit unions that provides financial services and/or operational services to credit unions.

Basler is actively involved in the credit union industry and serves on the BankOn Commission’s Financial Empowerment Task Force, a group tasked with advancing financial empowerment to youth and young adults throughout the state of Illinois.  He is also active in the Leaders Network, a trusted social justice organization inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King’s vision of creating a “beloved community”, by developing a partnership to provide financial resources and empowerment to financial deserts in the west side of Chicago.  Basler is a dedicated community volunteer for CU Kind Day, is a mentor for young credit union professionals, volunteers at Feed My Starving Children, and has enjoyed supporting his community as a t-ball and baseball coach for his local park district.

In his new role as Chief Experience Officer, Basler will rely on his passion for helping people in combination with his operational, technical, and regulatory experience to help further the goals and initiatives of GLCU and improve the financial lives of their members.

“Great Lakes CU is doing amazing work, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to grow the engagement we have with our members and communities,” said Basler.  “I also feel fortunate to be in a role that has a chance to impact positive change. There are so many communities throughout Illinois, and the U.S. for that matter, that lack access to affordable services and overall financial empowerment. I look forward to helping fulfill our mission of expanding financial access to those in need.” 

To learn more about GLCU’s executive leadership team go to https://www.glcu.org/about-us/board-of-directors/.

About Great Lakes Credit Union 

Founded in 1938 and headquartered in Northern Illinois, GLCU is committed to financial empowerment for you. As a not-for-profit financial cooperative with over $1 billion in assets, GLCU is proud to serve more than 80,000 members in the Chicagoland and surrounding areas. Learn more about GLCU’s accounts, educational initiatives and community development programs at glcu.org


« Back to Articles