Knox M Pitts II, senior executive vice president for San Antonio Federal Credit Union (SACU), celebrated his retirement on January 22, after more than 21 years in executive leadership for the financial institution.

Pitts joined SACU in 1986, after moving to San Antonio to start a computer center at San Antonio Bank & Trust, later known as MBank Alamo. He had attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a major in Business Administration and obtained certification in Data Processing in the early days of the technology. Subsequent jobs increased his technical and business skills, until he came to SACU, ". . .and I knew I had found the place I was meant to be," he said.

He became an integral part of the management team that realigned business priorities and allowed SACU to recover from the financial downturns that plagued many financial organizations in the late 1980s. Early in the 1990s, Pitts provided continuity as "Acting CEO" and allowed a smooth transition for the incoming CEO, Jeffrey H. Farver.

During his tenure, Pitts successfully negotiated three multi-year contracts for data processing, supervised acquisition of numerous client/server systems, and effectively moved the credit union into a solid technologically advanced position for the 21st century. He oversaw introduction of innovative technology in SACU branches, including the first Remote Teller System (RTS) as a delivery method for services in San Antonio.

"Knox Pitts greets everyone with a smile, is always willing to listen and offers his help tirelessly to anyone in need," President and CEO Jeff Farver said. "We will miss this daily contact with him as a co-worker and friend. He has provided executive leadership and invaluable support to SACU, exemplifying the credit union philosophy of people helping people, both in his personal life and in representing the interests of members and employees. We wish him the very best in his retirement."

Thanks to the efforts of Knox Pitts and many others, SACU has provided members with a broad range of both savings and loan opportunities, with competitive rates and excellent service, since 1935. With 16 branches in San Antonio, one branch in Houston and a network of more than 100 ATMs in the San Antonio area, SACU is uniquely positioned to serve our community as a full-service financial institution.