Throughout his 35-year career, David Dear has had experience working with all types of banks — large and small. What sets credit unions apart? Dear says, “Credit unions have time for the common folks, the people we serve — the public servants and their families.”
Getting started
It all started in Cleveland County when Dear joined local government as a data processing manager. He later became the county finance director, before serving as county manager, a position he held for more than 15 years before retiring from work. His professional career was filled with diverse opportunities that enabled him to remain and grow with the same employer, while learning from other professionals throughout his decades-long career.
Dear’s experience in county management gave him valuable insight and a deep understanding of how to navigate the challenges faced by county residents. He uses that same insight on the various nonprofit boards on which he serves including the Local Government Federal Credit Union (LGFCU) Board of Directors as current Vice Chair. Dear’s service with LGFCU started in 2009 on the Foothills Advisory Council. In 2012, he was nominated and elected to serve on the Board of Directors, and has served in various roles including Chair.
He says this service to the credit union is an opportunity, “to give back to those people who serve the public that I worked with for so long … to help them meet their financial needs and goals in life.”
Dedicated to creating opportunities
Dear is most proud of the improvements made in job creation and economic development during his tenure, bringing more industry to his rural communities including manufacturing and data centers. The addition of new industries helped reduce the unemployment rate from double to single digits just after the 2008 financial crisis, and helped strengthen the county’s tax base.
As an extension to his credit union service, Dear joined the Civic Local Foundation Board. The Foundation was chartered in 2021 by Civic and Local Government Federal Credit Unions, and he continues to make his mark there by creating opportunities for North Carolina nonprofits that address challenges in four key focus areas: health care, housing, human services and hunger.
"Credit unions have time for the people we serve - the public servants and their families."
Future focus
When it comes to the merger of LGFCU and Civic, Dear says, “We want to chart our own course and implement programs and activities that are tailored to the needs of our membership. We’ll do this by serving our membership more economically, conveniently and efficiently, by offering services members can use from the convenience of their home or office through a laptop and phone.”
Dear believes the credit union’s future focus should address financial and digital literacy to help members chart their financial futures. To help meet this goal, he believes a focus on accessibility and education will be essential. As a member of the Board of Directors, he will help lead a focus on educating Civic's membership as well - not only on their finances, but also on digital literacy; making borrowing more accessible; helping members understand how to achieve a good credit score; and making financial transactions more accessible.
Past volunteerism, memberships & activities
- Member, Board of Trustees, N.C. Local Government Employees Retirement System (LGERS)
- Board member, Cleveland Community College Foundation Inc.
- Board member, Cleveland County Economic Development Partnership
- Board member, Cleveland County Chamber of Commerce
- Board member, Cleveland County Fair
- Board member, Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland County
- Board member, Destination Cleveland County
- Board member, Cleveland Psychosocial Services Inc.
- Board member, Cleveland County Health Department
- Board member, Small Business Advisory Council (Cleveland Community College)
- Board member, United Way of Cleveland County
- Board member, YMCA of Cleveland County