POSTED: Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010

Longtime Haggen executive to take lead role in Washington Federal's northern region

Washington Federal Inc. has hired longtime Haggen executive Tom Kenney to head its bank operations in the northern part of the state.

Kenney was named senior vice president and northern Washington regional executive for Washington Federal. He will locate his office in downtown Bellingham and serve as the company's senior executive here, according to a Washington Federal press release.

Kenney will be responsible for Washington Federal's banking activities in Whatcom, Skagit and parts of Snohomish counties. His first day at Washington Federal is expected to be Feb. 15.

In a phone interview, Kenney said his role is to be the face of the bank for this area, developing business and community relationships. Kenney is finishing his job as an executive at Haggen, serving as vice president of finance for the past 13 years for Haggen and its sister company, Briar Development Co. He previously spent 20 years in the banking industry and was on Washington Federal's board of directors. He will step down from the board to take this position.

"Being on the board, I've come to appreciate the culture of Washington Federal," said Kenney, 58. "I miss the public interaction that comes with being in the banking industry, and I'm excited to roll up my sleeves and get started."

While he won't be getting his feet wet in his new job for a couple of weeks, he has been kept informed about the transition of the Horizon Bank takeover, which took place on Jan. 8. He said there have been some employee departures from former Horizon Bank offices as the company begins eliminating redundancies. There is also planning taking place for some branch consolidation, which includes closing the Bellingham Holly Street branch and moving those operations into the Cornwall Avenue offices.

In a press release, Washington Federal CEO Roy M. Whitehead said Kenney is uniquely suited for this position because of his background in banking and his ties to northwest Washington.

"His appointment should reassure former Horizon Bank clients that Washington Federal is committed to providing first-rate banking services to them and their community for many years to come," Whitehead said in the press release.