2025 Board Election & Annual Meeting
When: April 15, 2025 at 7 p.m.
Where:
Ascentra Home Office
Lensmeyer Learning Center
2019 Grant Street
Bettendorf, IA 52722
At the next annual meeting, there will be three positions open for our volunteer board of directors. Each is a three-year term position. The voting will take place in person by paper ballot only at the annual meeting.
1) No nominations will be taken from the floor of the annual meeting.
2) No absentee ballots will be accepted.
The following board candidates are listed below with their qualifications:
BRETT CARTER
Brett is a partner at True Financial Services, specializing in C-suite, board director, VP, and other executive-level searches for clients in all sectors of the insurance industry.
Before joining True, Brett held the position of Managing Director at The Jacobson Group, a boutique search firm exclusively dedicated to insurance. With over 20 years of direct insurance experience, including roles at Munich Re US P&C, American Modern, Travelers and State Farm, Brett excels in strategic consultation regarding talent acquisition, leadership and corporate culture.
Brett’s passion for innovation, organizational excellence and strong communication skills translate into expert executive search and selection consulting for his insurance clients. He is also a sought-after thought leader, speaker and panelist at many industry events and conferences.
As a diversity champion, Brett serves as President of the National African American Insurance Association, Chicago Chapter and contributes to various industry committees promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.
Brett holds a Bachelor of Arts in marketing/advertising from Augustana College and a master’s from the University of Arizona Global Campus, along with industry accreditations including Associate in Claims, Certified Insurance Counselor and Certified Personal Risk Manager.
TED KURT
Ted joined Ascentra’s board of directors in 2024 as an associate board member. He has over 20 years of experience affiliated with credit unions serving in management and executive roles.
Ted earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Iowa and a master’s degree from St. Ambrose University. He’s also a graduate of the Credit Union National Association’s Management School and Financial Management School at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
He is a member of St. Anthony’s Church in Davenport, where he volunteers at the McAnthony’s food pantry and teaches financial literacy. He is also a member of the Davenport Horticultural Society, where he serves as treasurer.
TROY SMITH
Troy Smith was elected to the credit union board of directors in Feb. 1995. In 1989, he joined Alcoa, Inc. as a mechanical engineer. Troy worked in the maintenance, engineering and marketing departments and later as a corporate technical leader for all rolling locations worldwide. On Jan. 1, 2008, Troy left Alcoa to become General Manager of Chrome Deposit Corporation, a company specializing in grinding, texturing and chrome plating rolls for the steel and aluminum industry. While this change in jobs caused Troy and his family to relocate, the California native still considers the Quad Cities his “home”. Troy currently works for Novelis, Inc., the largest aluminum producer in the world as a Global Technical Leader. As a board member, Troy currently serves on Ascentra’s Credit Committee. In the past, he has served as the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Chief Financial Officer, Credit Committee Chairperson, Building Committee Chairperson and Strategic Planning Session Chairperson. He has also served on the Executive, Nominating, Directors Policy, ALCO, Building, Disaster and IT Technology and Staff Personnel Committees at the credit union.