Debra Hodous Geiger: A Life of Service, Heart, and Unwavering Dedication

For thirty-two years, Debra Hodous Geiger didn’t just work at ACU. She poured her heart into it. From her first day as a bookkeeper in 1987, she brought something rare and precious: a genuine commitment to making life better for every member who walked through our doors and every colleague who worked beside her.

 

Debra’s journey from that bookkeeper’s desk to the executive suite as Chief Administrative Officer and Executive Vice President wasn’t about climbing a ladder. It was about growing deeper roots. With every promotion, every new responsibility, she carried the same values that defined her from day one: integrity that never wavered, compassion that never dimmed, and a vision that always put people first. She was a lifelong learner, not because she had to be, but because she genuinely cared about doing better. From her time at Washington State University to her countless hours in CUNA, NAFCU, and CUES programs, Debra sought excellence not for accolades, but to better serve others. Her volunteer work on nonprofit boards wasn’t box-checking. It was an extension of who she was: someone who believed that we rise by lifting others.

 

Growing up in a military family shaped Debra in profound ways. She understood what it meant to sacrifice, to serve, to move when duty called, to worry when loved ones deployed. That wasn’t just background knowledge. It was lived experience that gave her a deep, personal understanding of the challenges our military families face. Her work supporting service members and strengthening the community around Joint Base Lewis-McChord wasn’t just professional. It was personal. It was her way of honoring the values she was raised with and the sacrifices she witnessed firsthand.

 

When Debra retired in 2019, many would have been content to step away completely. But that wasn’t who she was. She continued serving as a Trustee, then as Vice-Chair of our Board, because her commitment to ACU’s members and employees ran deeper than any job title. It was woven into the fabric of who she was: a woman who simply couldn’t stop caring, couldn’t stop giving, couldn’t stop making things better for those around her.

 

What made Debra extraordinary wasn’t just what she accomplished, though her achievements were remarkable. It was how she accomplished them. With warmth that made you feel valued. With wisdom that guided without diminishing. With a quiet strength that inspired confidence. With a generous spirit that lifted everyone in her orbit. She remembered the small details because people mattered to her. She celebrated your wins and stood beside you in your struggles. She led not from above, but from within, rolling up her sleeves, sharing the load, showing us all what servant leadership truly looks like.

 

To her family, she was everything. To her friends, she was a treasure. To her colleagues, she was both mentor and champion. To ACU’s members, she was a fierce advocate they may never have known by name, but whose impact they felt in every thoughtful policy, every compassionate decision, every member-first initiative she championed.

 

Debra’s legacy isn’t found in organization charts or strategic plans. It lives in the countless moments of kindness she showed. In the doors she opened for others. In the culture of care she helped create. In the lives she touched with her generosity of spirit. In the example she set of what it means to lead with both strength and heart. We are heartbroken that she’s gone. The empty space she leaves is vast and aching. But we are also profoundly grateful. Grateful for every year she gave us, every lesson she taught us, every moment she made brighter by being in it.

 

Debra showed us that a life of service is a life well-lived. That compassion and excellence can walk hand-in-hand. That true leadership means making everyone around you better. That the measure of a life isn’t in titles or tenure, but in love given and lives changed. She will be deeply, deeply missed. And she will be forever remembered, not just for what she did, but for who she was: a woman of grace, strength, and boundless heart who made our world infinitely better simply by being in it. We are forever grateful for her love, wisdom, and the remarkable example she set. Her memory will live on in the hearts of all who knew her.