William E. Birnie

Mr. Birnie has been active in credit union leadership for more than 30 years and has served as president and CEO of what is now Frontwave Credit Union since 2015.

In college, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance and Banking. He went on to acquire an MBA from National University and to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps, rising to the rank of sergeant major.

In 1988, Mr. Birnie volunteered to serve on the Supervisory Committee of Pacific Marine Credit Union (now Frontwave). He spent eight years on the committee, six as chairman. In addition, he served one year on the credit union’s Board of Directors.

In 1997, Mr. Birnie became the credit union’s internal auditor. In 2004, he was promoted to Vice President of Finance and Risk Management. In 2007, he became president and CEO of the Orange County-based Eagle Community Credit Union. He led that institution for eight years, before returning to Frontwave as president and CEO in August 2015.

Mr. Birnie has devoted significant time to public service. He’s chaired the Credit Union Executive Society (CUES) Council Board for Southern California and Nevada and the CU4K Advisory Board of the Children’s Hospital of Orange County. He also served on the Steering Committee of the Southern California Credit Union Alliance and on the Board of Directors of the California Credit Union League.

Since 2008, Mr. Birnie has served on the faculty of the Western Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Management School. He’s currently a member of the Political Action Committee at the California Credit Union League, treasurer for the Camp Pendleton Historical Society, and a board member for both the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce and Defense Credit Union Council.