President/CEO

Girado Smith, CPA

Girado Smith has over 24 years of leadership experience with Educational Systems Federal Credit Union. In January 2023, he became the President/CEO after serving as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since 2004. During his tenure, Girado has led the Credit Union’s financial operations and strategic direction, which has resulted in surpassing the milestone of $1 billion in assets. Girado is committed to serving the education community by offering customized solutions and excellence in member service.

Giving back to the education community is a priority for Girado. He helped the Credit Union form the Support Education Foundation, Inc. in 2017 as a way for employees and members to contribute to charitable giving programs that benefit students and school employees. Girado served as the first Chair of the Board of Directors of the Support Education Foundation. He currently serves on the board of the Montgomery County Public Schools Educational Foundation, Inc. with the goal of mitigating opportunity gaps for students.

Driven to shape a culture of teamwork and inclusion within our Credit Union and the industry, Girado played an integral role in partnering with the African American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC) to form The Rosemary Brinkley C-Level Leadership Development Program which supports diverse middle managers and credit union leaders in taking their skills and career to the next level. Girado also earned a certificate in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) through the MD|DC Credit Union Association’s partnership with Georgetown University.

Girado currently serves on the board of directors of the Metropolitan Area Credit Union Management Association (MACUMA) and the MD|DC Credit Union Association Suburban Maryland Chapter. He is also a member of several professional organizations including the African American Credit Union Coalition and the National Association of Federal Credit Unions. He also supports the PowHERful Foundation, an organization empowering young women to pursue higher education and reach their full potential.

Girado received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a focus on accounting from Mansfield University. He holds a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation.

If you have comments for our President/CEO, email him at [email protected].