Merck Employees Federal Credit Union’s 90th Annual Meeting is in the books and one thing is clear — there is true excitement for the credit union’s next 90 years!
When the credit union was founded 90 years ago it did not offer credit cards, share drafts, and many other common products. Fast forward to today and members can do business with the credit union on their cell phone or computer and do just about anything they need to do virtually. The world has changed, but rather than just looking back, what’s ahead?
“We respect our history and the traditions that we have built in our 90-year history, but we also recognize that to have another successful 90 years it is going to take hard work and an open mind to doing new things,” said MEFCU Chair Andrea Krysienski.
"While the credit union is always looking ahead, its focus on safety and soundness and protecting the members’ assets is always job No. 1," said MEFCU President/CEO Paul Gentile. “The credit union is built for any economic climate. No matter the ups and downs we are positioned to able to meet member needs,” said Gentile.
Looking ahead, Gentile noted a number of money movement tools, including Zelle, would be coming in 2026. This is part of the credit union’s commitment to empower members to use the tools they want and need in their financial lives.
Gentile, as he does annually, urged members to take an active role in protecting themselves against fraud. “Fraud is an industry. By 2030 fraud is expected to be the third largest economy in the world behind the United States and China. We must constantly be on guard,” he said.
The credit union does this everyday with its enterprise risk management (ERM) approach centered around “Slow Down. Stop. Escalate.” This ERM approach guides all at the credit union to be alert for fraud and to never move forward with a transaction until there is confidence. Gentile said members can also help in this area by monitoring their accounts frequently, adding a Trusted Contact to their account, utilizing two-factor authentication and maintaining an overall vigilance about maintaining account security. “Never be embarrassed to ask us for help. These fraudsters are slick. If you think something doesn’t sound or look right we are happy to help.”
The credit union launched its Carefull fraud monitoring service last year. Carefull is a complimentary tool to assist members in protecting not only their credit union accounts, but their accounts elsewhere. Carefull offers ID theft insurance, title monitoring, credit monitoring and will alert members about transaction activity using levels the member sets. Carefull is now protecting more than 3,500 members who collectively have $380 million of assets being protected.
Merck’s Consistent Presence
Products and services have changed. People have changed. One thing that hasn’t changed in the credit union’s 90 years is its focus on serving the employees and family members of Merck & Co. The credit union is unique in that unlike many credit unions it has stayed true to its original sponsor group and has dedicated its efforts to the Merck & Co. family.
The credit union was honored to welcome Chirfi Guindo to the meeting. He is the Executive Vice President, Strategic Access, Policy and Communications for Merck. In this role, Chirfi leads the company’s global policy, pricing and access strategies, ensuring strong alignment between strategy and execution, and delivery impact for stakeholders and Merck in the U.S. and globally. He provided a dynamic look at the past innovations from Merck, including the company’s pioneering work in statins and vaccines.
Leave it to Merck to try and tackle one of the world’s top health concerns — cardiovascular disease. Chirfi said sadly CVD claims 19 million lives per year around the world and is the No.1 cause of mortality globally. Approximately 85% of all CVD is attributed to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease which centers around plaque build up in arterial walls.
Merck is delivering an oral Proprotein Convertase Subtillisin/Kexin type 9 in inhibitor to help transform patient care of CVD. “Our goal is to make it accessible and affordable, that is our commitment,” he said.
Chirfi then moved on to Merck’s historic work on HIV medicines. Merck launched its first HIV treatments in 1996 and has continued to innovate, including as recently as 2026 with the approval of INDVYNSO. The treatment is expected to bring convenience and tolerability benefits and continues the company’s focus on HIV treatments.
Merck’s top-selling oncology drug, Keytruda, helped propel Merck to No. 1 in oncology revenue. Chirfi emphasized Merck’s innovation with Keytruda and vaccines and all that it is doing is focused on improving patients’ lives.
In its global efforts, one effort that Chirfi highlighted was Merck for Mothers which focuses on preventing mothers dying while giving life. Some 40 million women were touched by this program.
Dedicated Board Stays Strong
The meeting also included the latest board election results. Congratulations to Jeff Geller, Linda George, Rafalle Karby, and Charles Orgelfinger, who were each elected to a three-year term. The credit union’s dedicated volunteers are key to continued strategic success.
Next, the credit union presented a $10,000 donation to Healing the Children New Jersey. Accepting on behalf of HTCNJ was executive director Tricia McNamara who thanked the credit union for helping the organization bring life-changing medical services to children who are unable to attain them on their own.
Finally, the credit union presented its 2026 Annual Scholarship winners, always a highlight of the event. The credit union is committed to investing in young people who are focused on achieving their higher education goals. For a full rundown of this year’s winners click here.
