Family First CU CEO Out Following ‘Lake America’ AI-Photo Controversy
By CU Today Staff —
SAGINAW, Mich.— Family First Credit Union CEO Jane Smith is no longer with the $96.8-million credit union, the latest development following the controversy over an AI-altered social media photo that showed Smith and family members wearing “Lake America” sweatshirts before a trip to Canada.
WJRT-TV reported Wednesday that Family First said Smith is no longer an employee, effective immediately. The credit union did not say whether Smith resigned or was terminated, nor did it provide a reason for her departure. Chief Operating Officer Jason Acosta has been named interim CEO, according to WJRT.
The development follows an earlier CUToday.info report in which Smith said the image was intended as a joke, not a political statement, and that the resulting online backlash and death threats caused her family to cut short a planned 10-day trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
“We weren't trying to make a political statement,” Smith told WJRT. “However, we were, you know, kind of poking fun at the fact that, you know, one of the Great Lakes' names was getting changed.”
Smith said the family never actually wore the sweatshirts. She said the photo was altered using AI and initially posted to her private Facebook page with an indicator identifying it as AI-generated, but was later reposted publicly by her sister without the AI marker. Family First's board subsequently said it “unequivocally disapproves and rejects” the content and was determining what steps to take.
CUToday.info has reached out to the credit union for comment.
Originally reported by CU Today.