Great Lakes Bay Region Chapter
Vickie Schmitzer is the CEO of Frankenmuth Credit Union, a member-owned financial cooperative serving the entire state of Michigan, a role she’s held since 2003.
Vickie joined FCU in 1979 as one of just three employees, back when the credit union was still headquartered in Carling Brewery. It was founded, fittingly, by millers and brewers who understood the value of pooling resources for the greater good. Under her leadership since becoming CEO, the credit union has grown to more than 30 branches and over 400 employees, and has won numerous awards — including the Raddon Award, honoring FCU as one of the top 10 credit unions in the country, for five straight years.
Long before she was balancing budgets, Vickie was balancing a milking stool, working on her family’s dairy farm on Reese Road in Frankenmuth Township. That same hands-on work ethic carried her through raising a family all while working full time and graduating from Credit Union Management School from the University of Wisconsin. Throughout her career, Vickie has always championed the credit union’s competitive advantage: people over profit and members over shareholders.
Vickie believes deeply in Stakeholder Orientation — the idea that a business exists to create value not just for owners, but for members, employees and community alike — and she’s built a career proving that a cooperative model can be both financially strong and genuinely good for the people it serves. She currently sits on the CU*Answers Board, mentors credit unions across Michigan and has served on 18-plus local boards and committees.
Vickie is married to Jeff Schmitzer and is a proud mother of two and grandmother of six.