Veteran professionals join newly launched division to provide holistic financial planning

SECU Financial Partners is pleased to announce that Leslie McElwain and John Harrington have joined the division as LPL Financial Advisors.

As members of the SECU Financial Partners team, McElwain and Harrington will focus on providing a holistic approach to financial planning, which offers a partnership between advisor and credit union members in support of their overall financial and personal goals.

“We are thrilled for Leslie and John to join our growing team,” said Jim Mellendick, Vice President of SECU Financial Partners. “We’re confident their diverse experiences and fresh perspectives will enhance our ability to serve credit union members and contribute to our division’s success.”

McElwain brings more than a decade of financial services experience, including eight years of wealth management experience, to her role as LPL Financial Advisor. Before joining SECU Financial Partners, McElwain spent almost two years at Morgan Stanley in Frederick, Maryland, as a Financial Advisor Associate and a Relationship Manager where she worked with her team to deliver holistic financial planning to clients. Prior to that role, McElwain was at Wells Fargo Bank in Gaithersburg, Maryland, for almost 10 years as a Premier Banker where she worked closely with financial advisors and other bank partners to maintain her own client book of business. McElwain holds a Bachelor of Arts from Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia.

“As a proud Marylander, I’m excited to meet and work with SECU members to provide them with great customer service, and more importantly, a trusted partnership,” said McElwain. “I look forward to working with John and our entire SECU Financial Partners team to bring our members one step closer to achieving their goals.”

Harrington is a seasoned professional whose financial services career has spanned more than 22 years in retail distribution. Before joining SECU Financial Partners, Harrington spent more than a year at Edward Jones as a financial advisor. Prior to that role, Harrington was Senior Vice President at Amundi Pioneer Asset Management where he was responsible for the distribution of investment strategies in the Mid-Atlantic region. The bulk of Harrington’s investment career was spent at PIMCO where he held progressive roles over 17 years, with the majority of that time spent as a Senior Vice President/Vice President responsible for distribution of investment strategies in the Maryland and Delaware regions. Harrington holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island.

“I joined SECU Financial Partners because I believe in its mission of improving people’s lives,” said Harrington. “It’s an honor to work for an organization that deeply cares about the financial wellness of its clients and delivering quality, personalized services to them.”

Learn more about the various roles for SECU Financial Partners by visiting secumd.org/financial-advisors.

About SECU Financial Partners

Launched in 2021, SECU Financial Partners provides an inclusive, holistic approach to financial planning, which offers a partnership between advisor and credit union members in support of their overall financial and personal goals.