Merck Employees Federal Credit Union’s 90th Annual Meeting is set for April 29, 2026 at 6 pm at the Merck Rahway, NJ Corporate Campus in the Kenneth Frazier Auditorium.
Among the highlights of the meeting will be a variety of board and executive updates on the state of the credit union, the election results for the Board of Directors, the announcement of the credit union’s annual scholarship program, and a special guest address from Chirfi Guindo, EVP, Strategic Access, Policy & Communications for Merck.
Always a favorite annual highlight, this year the credit union is awarding six $10,000 scholarships to high school seniors moving on to their next stage of education. Attend to hear from these up and coming leaders and their plans for the future.
Speaking of leaders, the credit union is pleased to have Chirfi as our keynote speaker. Chirfi is a member of Merck’s executive team and is responsible for 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.
For this year’s board election, there are three expiring seats to be filled, each carrying a three-year term expiring 2029. There is also one additional seat up for election due to a mid-term board vacancy that was filled by the board in 2025. The election will be conducted prior to the meeting unless there is only one nominee for each position to be filled. In accordance with the Credit Union’s bylaws, when the number of nominees equals the number of vacancies, nominees are considered elected by general acclamation.
The Nominating Committee has announced that there will be three (3) candidates running for three (3) open positions: Linda George, Raffalle Karby, and Charles Orgelfinger. Additionally, in 2025, Jeff Geller was appointed to the board to fill the unexpired term of Bernie Wisniewski. Per the bylaws, Jeff’s seat will be up for re-election to fill the unexpired term which will run through 2027. The candidate profiles are below:
- Linda George is currently a Director in Tax Operations in the Merck Corporate Tax Department. She has been with Merck for a total of 23 years and has worked in various industries at fortune 500 companies throughout her career. She is a CPA, licensed in New Jersey. Linda graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a BS in Accounting and received her Masters in Taxation from Seton Hall University. She currently serves as the vice chair of the board.
- Raffalle Karby retired from Merck & Co., Inc. as an Administrative Assistant to the Director of Public Policies in the Public Affairs Department and has been a MEFCU member since day one of her employment by Merck. She has been a Credit Union volunteer for over 28 years and a Board Member for the past eleven years. She has served on the Supervisory Committee as Chairperson, the Policy Review Committee, the Strategic Planning Committee, the Annual Meeting Committee, and also Chairperson of the Education Committee. Currently, she serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors. Serving the credit union Board of Directors is one of the main sources of joy in her life.
- Charles Orgelfinger worked in Fermentation Research and Lab Animal Resources as a Microbiologist and a Data Coordinator in CBARDS upon retirement in January 2001 from Merck & Co. after 35 years. Chuck then worked in Security for four years on the Merck site. Chuck has served on the Board of Directors since 1980, serving in all chairs.
- Jeff Geller is the Senior Vice President of Global Total Rewards and HR Operations at Merck and leads an organization of 350 professionals who support approximately 75,000 colleagues worldwide. He is responsible for the overall strategy, design and management of Merck's global compensation and benefits programs and he provides oversight for Operations and People Experience which includes HR services, technology, M&A, portfolio management and communications.
To be eligible to vote, a member must have a minimum of fifty dollars ($50) in a regular share account, be at least sixteen (16) years of age and a member in good standing as of January 1, 2026.
Nominations for the board will not be accepted from the floor at the annual meeting. Members interested in running for the board are encouraged to express their interest to the Nominating Committee. Nominations can be made by the nominating committee or by petition. For petition forms or to express interest as a candidate, please email admin@merckefcu.com.
Nominating petitions must be signed by at least 249 members and accompanied by a signed certificate from the petitioner stating that they are agreeable to the nomination and will serve if elected. Petitioners must also submit a statement of qualifications and biographical data with their petition. Completed petitions must be received at the Credit Union, addressed to the Secretary of the Credit Union Board of Directors, by midnight, March 15, 2026.
Registration is required to attend the meeting. Complete your registration online here or contact the credit union and provide your details for registration.
