According to the company, the appointment of Whitehead, 53, represents another step in the orderly transition of leadership of the organization, which began upon his appointment as executive vice president in1998, president in 1999, and chief executive officer in 2000.

“I am especially pleased to be able to complete the transfer of the company leadership to people with the qualities of Roy Whitehead and his management team,” said Pinkerton. “Since he joined us in 1998, we have benefited from Roy’s expertise and financial wisdom and have seen firsthand his dedication to Washington Federal and his work ethic. No one is more committed to fulfilling his responsibilities to the company and its stockholders. I am confident his contributions aschairman and his leadership will maintain the company as one of America’s outstanding financial institutions.”

Whitehead has 31 years of experience in the industry with both thrifts and banks. Before joining Washington Federal, he served as regional vice president with Wells Fargo Bank. Previously, he was president of First Interstate Bank of Colorado (now Wells Fargo), was area president for First Union in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, and spent 13 years in Texas banking, where he began his career. He holds a degree in business administration and finance from the University of South Carolina and is a graduate of the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking.