Joe Thomas

America's Credit Unions

Joe Thomas has over 35 years of experience working for credit unions and their leagues. Joe has been President and CEO of NextMark Credit Union in Fairfax, Virginia, since 1999. As an executive leader, he has led the development of innovative financial services tailored to local government and community members with a particular focus on reaching the financial needs of low-and moderate-income individuals. 

Joe serves on the WOCCU Board and Chairs the Governance and Elections Committee. He also is a member of the Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions Board. Closer to home, Joe is a long-serving member of the Virginia Credit Union League Board and its immediate past Chair. He also serves on the Credit Union Mortgage Association Board. For more than seven years, Joe was a member of board of Credit Union National Association, (CUNA) now America’s Credit Unions.

Joe’s credit union journey began in 1985 as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer attached to the Malawi Union Of Savings and Credit Co-Operative (MUSCCO), where he organized new credit unions and developed training materials for credit union volunteers and league staff.

Joe holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Averett University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Affairs from Assumption University. He is a Credit Union Development Educator, Class of 1996, and received his I-CUDE in 2010. In 2014, he was named CEO of the Year by CU Times.