William Mellin, who has led the New York Credit Union Association for 26 years, plans to leave the trade group at the end of 2026, closing a 32-year career with the organization during which the state's credit unions expanded to more than $133 billion in assets and nearly 7.5 million members. Mellin will remain president and chief executive through Dec. 31, focusing on succession planning and the transfer of responsibilities. Chris Pajak, the association's chief operating officer, will oversee day-to-day operations of NYCUA and its affiliated organizations until a permanent successor is appointed. The association represents 270 credit unions across New York. During Mellin's tenure as its leader, total credit union assets in the state grew from $36 billion to more than $133 billion, while membership increased from 4 million to nearly 7.5 million. NYCUA's influence within the state's credit union industry has also grown. The association said about 86% of New York credit unions are now members, compared with roughly 70% early in Mellin's tenure. Mellin became president and CEO in 2000. Over the years, he also helped oversee NYCUA's affiliated organizations, including OwnersChoice Funding, UsNet Shared Branching and the New York Credit Union Foundation. Ryan Roberts, NYCUA's board chair and president and chief executive of Great Meadow Federal Credit Union, credited Mellin with strengthening the association while maintaining its focus on the credit union cooperative model. "Since 2000, Bill has led NYCUA with vision, integrity, and an unwavering belief in the power of the 'people helping people' philosophy," Roberts said. The association also cited a recent employee survey in which all Association and affiliate staff agreed that the organization was "a great place to work."