Agnes elevated a credit union for 17 years

Editor’s note: BizWest is profiling inductees into the Boulder County Business Hall of Fame Class of 2026. 

BOULDER — Gerry Agnes, who served as president and CEO of Elevations Credit Union for 17 years, is among nine individuals to be inducted into the Boulder County Business Hall of Fame.

The hall’s Class of 2026 will be inducted in a ceremony to be held Sept. 30 at the Boulder Jewish Community Center, 6007 Oreg Ave. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m.

Other inductees will include Sally and Sandy Bracken, Becky Callan-Gamble and Dean Callan, Rene and Maria Cervantes, Rich Lopez and Denis Nock.

Agnes transformed a community financial institution into one of the most-recognized credit unions in the country. Under his leadership, Elevations grew to more than $3.5 billion in assets.

He was responsible for authoring and directing the credit union’s strategic objectives, which focused on attaining superior performance in employee engagement, member loyalty and top financial results.

In the midst of the 2008 financial crisis, he led the charge to pursue the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, which recognizes organizations for performance excellence. The Baldrige effort rallied the Elevations team to outperform both in-market competitors and credit unions nationwide, and in 2014, Elevations was named a Baldrige Award recipient by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. Six years later, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Elevations won a second Baldrige award from Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. With that award, Elevations became the first two-time recipient in Colorado history and the ninth two-time recipient in the history of the award.

Agnes was named the Credit Union Executive Society’s Outstanding Chief Executive in 2015. A year later, he was named the Mountain West Credit Union Association’s Credit Union Professional of the Year and the Boulder Chamber’s Business Person of the Year. In 2020, he  received the Baldrige Foundation Award of Leadership Excellence.

A certified public accountant with 41 years of professional experience, Agnes held positions as president, chief operating officer and chief financial officer at various community financial institutions in California.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He was appointed to the Colorado Financial Services Board by then-Gov. John Hickenlooper in 2015 and reappointed by Gov. Jared Polis in 2019.

Agnes received other appointments as well in 2019, being named to the Board of Overseers for the Baldrige award, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council, the Credit Union National Association’s CEO Council Executive Committee and the Credit Union Executives Society Board of Directors.

Agnes also served on the board of Elevations Foundation and its Local Change Foundation, and on the  A fixture in Boulder’s business community for nearly two decades, Agnes was repeatedly recognized as one of BizWest’s Most Influential Business Leaders. He retired in February.

The Hall of Fame inductees’ contributions span commercial real estate, financial services, immigrant entrepreneurship, civic leadership, higher education and community investment.

Inductees are evaluated by a selection committee that considers the nominee’s business achievements, community impact, ethical leadership and lasting contributions to Boulder County’s economic and social fabric. The nomination window for the class of 2027 will open in early 2027.

Any current or former business leader with demonstrated ties to Boulder County is eligible. Nominees should have a record of business excellence, community engagement and ethical leadership that has had a measurable impact on the region.

Ticket and sponsorship information for the Sept. 30 ceremony is available at halloffamebiz.com. Sponsorships support both the event and the organization’s broader mission, including its student scholarship program.

The Boulder County Business Hall of Fame, a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1992, has inducted more than 200 business leaders who represent the highest standards of business ethics, innovation and community commitment in Boulder County. Profiles of all alumni classes are available at halloffamebiz.com/alumni.

The organization also provides scholarships to Boulder County high school students who wish to attend CU Boulder’s Leeds School of Business and to students at Front Range Community College.

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