Meet Our Leadership Team
Our leadership team guides Inspire FCU to be a top credit union in Bucks County, a leader in the communities we serve and one of the best places to work in Bucks County. Our leaders are passionate about serving our membership and our community by ensuring we continue to provide competitive products and exemplary service. Our leadership team continues to position Inspire FCU as a top innovative financial institution, with carefully crafted priorities and reliable business insight.
Leadership Staff
Jim Merrill joined Inspire FCU as President/CEO in 2014. Jim is responsible for the overall strategic direction and leadership of the Credit Union and its subsidiary business lines. Jim is a recognized leader in the credit union space, and is a financial services industry veteran with over 30 years of experience in the credit union system. Jim earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from York College of Pennsylvania. Jim resides in Middletown Township, Bucks County and volunteers his time on multiple non-profit boards and committees, including serving as President of the Middletown Community Foundation, a charitable organization providing support to the residents of Middletown Township, Bucks County.
Tim Aitken joined Inspire FCU in 2014 as Vice President of Finance. He was promoted to Executive Vice President/CFO and currently oversees the Finance, Accounting, Information Technology, and Risk Management departments for Inspire FCU. Tim has over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. Tim earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from William Paterson University and he is a CPA in New Jersey. Tim enjoys coordinating fundraising activities for his son’s soccer team in his spare time such as The Gavi Fund and Soccer Without Borders.
Brian joined Inspire FCU in 2014 to lead business development and brand awareness strategy in the Inspire FCU community. As CRO, Brian leads the Credit Union’s revenue generating lines of business and is responsible for the development and execution of the business development and sales initiatives throughout the organization. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. Brian lives in Bucks County and is active in the business community serving on multiple committees and volunteers his time on local community boards.
Ashley is an accomplished retail banking professional with over fourteen years’ experience in retail banking. She started her career in front line positions assisting customers and was quickly promoted to leadership positions. Ashley joined Inspire FCU in 2017, and currently oversees the branch network, contact center and works closely with the marketing team. Ashley was born in Bucks County and continues to give back to her community through volunteering initiatives and servicing on local boards.
Lauren is responsible for services provided to Inspire’s membership, including electronic services, debit cards and payments, the IRA program and is an integral member of the Credit Union’s Risk Management team. Lauren’s experience in the banking industry spans across various departments, including Member Services, Compliance, and Operations. Lauren resides just outside of Bucks County and has a Bachelor’s Degree from Cairn University.
Denise Hackendahl started her career with Inspire FCU as a HR Consultant. She joined the team full-time in 2017 and currently oversees Human Resources and Employee Growth & Development at the Credit Union, as well as the Credit Union’s Human Resources CUSO, Inspire Culture First. Denise’s experience in HR includes recruiting, compliance, training, benefits and payroll administration and HR audits. She received her B.S. degree in Organizational Management from LaSalle University and her M.B.A. in Human Resource Management from Temple University. Denise currently resides in Bucks County with her husband and three children.
Lou started his career with Inspire as an IT consultant and joined the team full time in 2015. In his role, Lou is responsible for all Information Technology and Cyber Security, as well as Facilities management for all Inspire FCU locations. Lou resides in Bucks County and has over 30 years experience in Information Technology.
Board of Directors
