Barbara Overholser, Chairperson
Columbus City Schools – Retired from Finance Department

Robert Secrest, Vice-chairperson
Columbus City Schools – Retired Administrator

Ezetta Murray, Treasurer
Retired Columbus Education Association – Staff Consultant

Julie Didlick , Secretary
Columbus City Schools – Teacher

Henry Bland III
H.C. Bland Realty Company – Owner/Broker; Columbus City Schools – Retired Teacher

Irma Turner
Columbus City Schools – Retired Manager of Telecommunications and Data Center Operations

Jeffery Woodson
Columbus State Community College -Professor Engineering & Transport Tech

Sound experience and industry knowledge are a significant strength of our leadership team at Education First Credit Union. The executive management team is obsessively dedicated to serving their members financial best interests, and creating a healthy and positive work environment where every employee is motivated to give their utmost on behalf of every member.

Michael J. Wettrich – President and Chief Executive Officer

Mike has over twenty years of regulatory experience at the State level. He worked with the Ohio Department of Commerce, in the Division of Financial Institutions as the Deputy Superintendent for Credit Unions. Prior to that, he was the Chief Examiner and Acting Deputy Superintendent for Credit Unions. He also served as the Regional Supervisor, covering Central/Southern Ohio, and as a Credit Union Examiner for Central/Southern Ohio area.

Mike is a graduate of Franklin University, Columbus, Ohio with his B.S. in Finance. He also served as the Board Chairman of the National Association of State Credit Unions, and he is a Certified Credit Union Examiner (CCUE) and a Certified Credit Union Supervisor (CCUS). Additionally, Mike is a member of the National Association of State Credit Union Supervisors (NASCUS) and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE).

Jared Elsass, Chief Financial Officer
Jared started his career in the financial services industry in May of 2003. He holds a B.A. in Finance from University of Toledo. He was a real estate loan officer at Savage Mortgage Services in Toledo, OH in 2003. In 2004, Jared joined American Share Insurance as a Financial Analyst. Over the next several years he was promoted to Senior Financial Analyst and then to Underwriting Supervisor. He was responsible for the monitoring and oversight of insured credit unions, and he worked directly with high-risk/problem institutions. Jared joined the management team at Education First Credit Union in October 2012.

Deborah Olbrys, Chief Marketing and Membership Officer
Deb has over twenty-five years of leadership experience in the financial services industry. She was a member of the Senior Management Team at Key Bank, serving as Vice President of Retail Banking for over 20 years. She was also part of the Executive Management Team at KEMBA Financial Credit Union for five years, as their Vice President of Sales and Member Services. Deb joined Education First Credit Union in March 2012 as Director of Marketing and Business Development. She was named Chief Marketing Officer in June 2012. In September of 2015 Deb assumed responsibility for the branches and the Service Center. She has been a lifelong student attending classes at various schools and organizations, including Capital, Baldwin-Wallace, American Institute of Banking, the Small Business Administration, the Credit Union Executive Society, and the Ohio Credit Union League. Deb is also a 2003 graduate of Leadership Columbus. She is active in numerous business professional groups, and she serves on the board of the Westerville Education Foundation.

Jason Thomas – Chief Operations Officer

Jason brings over fifteen years of managerial and operational experience in the financial services industry to his current position at Education First. He previously worked as a dedicated and results-driven manager at BMI Federal Credit Union where he supervised teams, managed operations, ensured compliance for online and direct lending accounts and oversaw key projects. Jason is a team-oriented and efficiency-driven leader with expertise in Project Management and Strategic Planning. He holds an MBA in Finance from Franklin University and is a Certified Credit Union Financial Counselor. Jason joined Education First’s management team in October 2019.