Dallas, Texas – ALM First today announced the addition of Shanley Search Partners to its growing suite of executive advisory solutions, further enhancing the firm’s ability to help financial institutions attract, retain, and develop exceptional leadership teams. Shanley Search Partners is an executive search and leadership firm specializing in C-Suite recruitment, with a focus on credit unions, banking, and finance.
The addition of Shanley Search broadens ALM First’s executive advisory capabilities by integrating additional executive search expertise with the firm’s existing executive benefits, compensation, leadership advisory, and strategic consulting services. The combined offering provides credit union leaders with a remarkably comprehensive approach to addressing one of their most significant challenges: securing and retaining leadership talent in an increasingly competitive environment.
“Strong leadership is one of the most important drivers of long-term organizational success,” said Mike Ensweiler, Principal, ALM First. “By bringing Shanley Search under the ALM First umbrella, we are expanding our ability to help depositories not only design competitive executive compensation and benefits programs, but also identify, recruit, and retain the leaders who will guide their organizations into the future.”
The move also complements ALM First’s 2022 acquisition of DDJ Myers, a nationally recognized executive advisory and leadership development firm serving the credit union industry. Together, the expanded ALM First team creates a more comprehensive leadership solution for financial institutions seeking guidance on executive effectiveness, organizational strategy, succession planning, talent acquisition, leadership transition, and executive retention.
“Our vision is to create a fully integrated executive advisory platform that helps boards and executive teams make informed decisions about leadership,” said Deedee Myers, PhD, CEO of DDJ Myers, an ALM First Company. “Our comprehensive, proven partnerships enable organizations to identify the right leaders, support their development, create competitive compensation and benefit strategies, and establish succession plans that support long-term organizational success.”
Shanley Search’s expertise in executive recruitment further extends these capabilities by helping clients identify leadership talent aligned with organizational culture, strategic priorities, and long-term objectives. When combined with recruitment and leadership advisory services from DDJ Myers, an ALM First Company and executive retention strategies through ALM First Executive Benefits, financial institutions gain access to a more comprehensive talent management solution than any one provider could deliver independently.
“We’re thrilled to join forces with ALM First – a firm that clearly shares our values and consistently puts clients’ best interests first,” said Charles Shanley, “With more than 25 years of experience in executive recruiting, our team has been connecting organizations with exceptional leadership talent through a proven search process, rigorous candidate vetting, and an extensive nationwide network of professionals. Together, we’ll be able to accomplish even more for the industry with the full suite of ALM First solutions.”
The expansion reflects ALM First’s continued investment in executive advisory services as boards increasingly focus on succession planning, leadership continuity, executive retention, organizational culture, and strategic growth.
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About ALM First
ALM First was founded in 1995 as a strategic partner for depositories, offering an array of financial advisory services. The firm’s expertise in asset liability management, investment management, balance sheet strategy, secondary market solutions, and specialty financial services, has allowed it to deliver deeper insights into financial institutions’ balance sheets, strengthening their performance and building efficiencies. With over $80 billion of investments under management (as of August 31, 2026), ALM First Financial Advisors is an SEC-registered investment advisor, acting as an unbiased third party, offering commission-free, fee-based services to over 450 financial institutions across the country.
In recent years, ALM First Group has expanded to include several wholly-owned subsidiaries including DDJ Myers, an ALM First Company and ALM First Executive Benefits, LLC. Driven by client needs, the firm now offers various services to help financial institutions optimize their greatest assets – their people.
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