Jean M. Yokum (March 8, 1931 – August 19, 2021) was an American banking executive.

Early years

Norma Jean Mace was born in 1931 in

Valley Head, West Virginia Valley Head is a census-designated place (CDP) in Randolph County, West Virginia, United States. Valley Head is located on U.S. Route 219, south-southwest of Huttonsville. Valley Head has a post office with ZIP code 26294. As of the 2010 cens ...

. She was a straight-A high school student and married Charles M. Yokum in 1948 after graduating. She worked as a bookkeeper in his father's general store before she and "Chuck" moved to

Poquoson, Virginia Poquoson (), informally known as Bull Island, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,460. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Poquoson with surrounding York County ...

when he was drafted for the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

and stationed at

Langley Air Force Base Langley Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Hampton, Virginia, adjacent to Newport News, Virginia, Newport News. It was one of List of airfields of the Training Section of the United States Army Air Service, thirty-two ...

Career

In 1953, Yokum was hired as a teller at the Langley Federal Credit Union (LFCU) in

Hampton, Virginia Hampton () is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 137,148. It is the List ...

. She took on the role of assistant bookkeeper before becoming the director of accounting. She completed a three-year course through the Credit Union Business School in Wisconsin. She served as the credit union's assistant manager and in 1979 was appointed president and CEO. The

National Association of Federal Credit Unions The National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions (NAFCU) is a U.S. trade organization representing the nation's federally-insured credit unions. The NAFCU hosts conferences, publishes original research on issues relating to the credit ...

named her Credit Union Professional of the Year in 1983. During her tenure, the financial institution's assets grew from $76 million in 1979 to $1.6 billion in 2011. Yokum retired from LFCU in 2012. The credit union's Jean M. Yokum $5,000 College Scholarship is named for her.

Community activism

Yokum chaired the boards of the Peninsula Retail Merchants Association and Peninsula Family Services and served on the boards of the

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

of Hampton Roads and the

Virginia Air and Space Center The Virginia Air and Space Science Center is a museum and educational facility in Hampton, Virginia that also serves as the visitors center for NASA's Langley Research Center and Langley Air Force Base. The museum also features an IMAX digit ...

. She also served on community services boards and on the boards of state and national credit union associations. She served on the board of the Defense Credit Union Council (DCUC) for 20 years and was its chair. She received the Virginia Credit Union League's James P. Kirsch Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. She was inducted into the DCUC Hall of Honor in 2013. She owned over 1000 pairs of shoes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yokum, Jean 1931 births 2021 deaths American bank presidents American women bankers People from Hampton, Virginia People from Randolph County, West Virginia American women chief executives People from Poquoson, Virginia 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American businesswomen 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesswomen