Merck Employees Federal Credit Union’s 87th Annual Meeting is set for April 26, 2023. Among the business at the meeting will be an announcement of election results for the Board of Directors. In 2023, there are three expiring seats on the Board to be filled, each carrying a three-year term expiring 2026. 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.
To assemble a slate of candidates for the three elected positions, a Nominating Committee of Douglas Christie, Jeffrey Hack, and Bernard Wisniewski was appointed. The committee’s primary responsibility was to recommend candidates deemed most qualified to carry out the mission of the Credit Union. Nominees were selected based upon demonstrated leadership qualities and their commitment to the goals of the Credit Union.
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, 2023.
Nominations will not be accepted from the floor at the annual meeting. Nominations may only be made by the nominating committee or by petition. For petition forms, please contact Compliance Officer Evelyn Shyposh at (732) 594-6413.
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 12, 2023.
The Nominating Committee has selected the following candidates to fill the three positions on the Board of Directors:
The Merck Employees Federal Credit Union Nominating Committee chair, Douglas Christie, has announced that there will be three (3) candidates running for three (3) open positions. The elections will be held during the 87th annual meeting of the membership on April 26, 2023. Two candidates, Raffalle Karby and Charles Orgelfinger, are incumbents seeking reelection. One candidate, Linda George, was elected by the Board, per Credit Union Bylaw Article VII, Section 2, and is serving a remaining term of the vacant seat of Lisa Auerbach. She will now be running for the three-year term.
Linda George (incumbent), filling unexpired term, expires 2024) was appointed to the MEFCU Board in November 2022 to fill the unexpired term of an outgoing board member. Currently, Linda is 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.
Raffalle Karby (incumbent) 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 (incumbent) worked in Fermatation 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 Credit Union’s Loan Committee as well as the Board of Directors since 1980, serving in all chairs. He was also active in the Union County Chapter of the New Jersey Credit Union League for many years, and worked on the state level with the Credit Union League.
The 87th Annual Meeting will take place virtually (online) with an in-person option, on April 26, 2023, at 6:00 at the Merck Rahway, NJ Corporate Campus (room TBD). To register, please click here.
