Board Bio David Dear
David Dear
Throughout his 35-year career, David Dear has worked with all types of banks, large and small. What sets credit unions apart from them, he says, is that “Credit unions have time for the common folks, the people we serve — the public servants and their families.”
LOCAL GOVERNMENT ROOTS
Dear’s career began in Cleveland County, where he joined local government as a data processing manager. He later became county finance director, then served as county manager for more than 15 years before retiring. He says this decades-long career was “filled with diverse opportunities that enabled me to remain and grow with the same employer, while learning from other professionals.”
Dear is proud of the job creation and economic development improvements made in Cleveland County during his tenure. The addition of new industries helped reduce the county’s unemployment rate from double to single digits just after the 2008 financial crisis and helped strengthen its tax base.
DEDICATED TO CREATING OPPORTUNITIES
Dear’s county management experiences provided him with valuable insights and a deep understanding of how to navigate the challenges faced by county residents, which he brings to his service on the Board.
His credit union service began in 2009 on LGFCU’s Foothills Advisory Council. In 2012, Dear was elected to serve on the LGFCU Board of Directors. He also serves on the Board of the Civic Local Foundation.
Dear sees his service to the credit union as 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.”
FUTURE FOCUS
Dear believes that the future of Civic should include addressing financial and digital literacy, to help members chart their financial futures. To meet this goal, he helps lead a focus on ensuring the credit union makes borrowing and financial transactions more accessible, and helps members understand how to achieve a good credit score.
“We want to chart our own course,” Dear says, “and implement programs and activities that are tailored to the needs of our membership, working to serve our membership more economically, conveniently and efficiently.”
CURRENT COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
- Member, Board of Trustees, N.C. Local Government Employees Retirement System
- Board member, Cleveland Community College Foundation Inc.
- Board member, Cleveland County Economic Development Partnership
- Board member, Cleveland County Chamber of Commerce
- Board member, Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland County
- Board member, Destination Cleveland County
- 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