'We sincerely apologize for the concern, disappointment and pain this situation has caused,' says board
A CEO has exited her company after appearing in a controversial photo.
Jane Smith, former head of Family First Credit Union in Saginaw, Mich., posted a photograph on Sept. 11 that showed her and family members at the Halifax airport. They all appeared to be wearing the same dark blue sweatshirt, with the words “Lake America” on them.
Smith told ABC12 News in Michigan that she had used ChatGPT to add the "Lake America" clothing and then posted the result to her private Facebook page with an AI label.
"We never had actual sweatshirts. We never wore sweatshirts," she said.
According to Smith, her sister reposted the image publicly after the family arrived in Halifax. She said her sister did not include the AI warning and added the caption: "Like our sweatshirts? Not sure Canada will… lol lol."
‘Poking fun’ at Great Lakes name change
The post appeared weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an Aug. 27 executive order to rename Lake Ontario "Lake America" during the trade war between the two countries.
Trump's proposed renaming has drawn opposition in both countries. Prime Minister Mark Carney has said Canadians will call the lake Lake Ontario "now and always," and three members of Congress have introduced the "Hands off our Great Lakes" bill to stop the change.
Smith told ABC12 the image was meant to be a joke.
"We weren't trying to make a political statement," she said, although she acknowledged the family was "kind of poking fun at the fact that, you know, one of the Great Lakes's names were getting changed."
Smith also told ABC12 that the family cut their planned 10-day trip short and returned to Michigan early because of death threats. In an apology, she called the image "insensitive, distasteful, and in poor judgment."
CEO exits credit union
As of Sept. 24, Smith is no longer CEO of the credit union. Family First Credit Union said she "is no longer an employee… effective immediately." The board chair signed the statement, which named chief operations officer Jason Acosta interim CEO.
The notice did not give a reason for Smith's departure or say whether she chose to leave. CBC News contacted Smith, Acosta and the credit union's marketing team, and none had replied at the time of its report.
Before Smith's exit, the board said the post involved her in her personal capacity during a family vacation but was still "unacceptable." It also said it was reviewing next steps.
The board added that it holds all employees, particularly executive leadership, to the highest ethical and professional standards. It said Smith's conduct did not align with those expectations.
On Wednesday, the credit union posted an apology on Facebook.
"We sincerely apologize for the concern, disappointment and pain this situation has caused our members and community," the post reads.
It acknowledged that community members may hold different views on the decision. It said its responsibility is "to act in the best interest of the Credit Union, uphold the trust of our members and continue putting our community first."
