Longtime credit union employee retires after more than three decades of service.

TULLAHOMA, Tenn., May 20, 2024 –Ascend Federal Credit Union, the largest credit union in Middle Tennessee, today announced the retirement of Assistant Vice President of Branch Delivery Cindy Watson. Watson retires following a successful career with Ascend that spanned more than 30 years.

Hired by Ascend in 1993, Watson was promoted to Assistant Vice President of Branch Delivery in 2017. During her tenure with the credit union, Watson held a variety of different roles including Loan Officer, Manager of Records Retention, and Assistant Vice President of Member Services.

“During her distinguished career, Cindy proved countless times to be an invaluable team member,” said Ascend Chief Administration Officer Jason Powers. “Her hard work helped to ensure that our financial service centers ran efficiently and in the best interest of our members. She has also been a mentor to many Ascend team members and her lasting influence will continue to be felt at the credit union. On behalf of Ascend and its employees, we’d like to wish Cindy well in retirement as she enters the next chapter in her life.”

In her most recent position, Watson’s primary duties at Ascend concentrated on optimizing daily branch functions and successes. She was also responsible for effectively providing leadership through being a positive role model, coaching team members, and providing ongoing communication to branch managers. In addition, Watson also played an important role in the successful rollout of several strategic initiatives including the implementation of the credit union’s call center, indirect lending program, and consumer lending department.

“It has been a great pleasure to work with so many inspiring people,” said Watson. “I’m humbled to have had the opportunity to call Ascend home, and it has been truly rewarding to work on several significant projects with my colleagues at the credit union. As a result, I have seen the important work that is being done in numerous Middle Tennessee communities to help our members. I want to thank leadership and the entire Ascend team for a lengthy and gratifying professional experience.”

Outside of work, Watson has spent time in Middle Tennessee as a volunteer at South Jackson Performing Arts Center and the Tullahoma Christmas parade volunteer. She is also a member of the Tennessee Trails Association. In 2022, Watson was a finalist for the Tullahoma Area Chamber of Commerce’s Women Impacting the Community Award, which recognizes local women making a difference in the areas of business, education, community service, and lifetime achievement.

Watson’s last day with Ascend will be Friday, May 24.

About Ascend Federal Credit Union

With more than 240,000 members and more than $4.4 billion in assets, Ascend Federal Credit Union is the largest credit union in Middle Tennessee and one of the largest federally chartered credit unions in the United States. Based in Tullahoma, Tenn., the member-owned financial institution offers banking, loan, retirement, and investment services from its 28 branches, more than 55,000 free ATMs worldwide, digital banking portal, and mobile app. The credit union’s mission is to serve by offering financial literacy education and giving back to its community in a variety of ways. Ascend is federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration. For more information, visit ascend.org.

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