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Sundie Seefried

Sundie Seefried

Sundie Seefried

Boss, Wife, Mom, Sister, Daughter and Captain

Safe Harbor Financial is the brainchild of Sundie Seefried. A 35-year veteran of the credit union industry, in 2014, she saw that CRBs needed financial services and that Colorado communities would be safer if the new industry had access to banking solutions.

A 39-year credit union industry veteran, Seefried was the former CEO of Partner Colorado Credit Union (PCCU). Established in 2015 by PCCU, Safe Harbor was formed to provide an unmet need – compliant banking and financial services to the rapidly growing U.S. cannabis industry. Seefried designed a full scope Cannabis Banking Program for PCCU known as the Safe Harbor program, which has withstood the scrutiny of 16 federal and state exams to date. Now in its 8th year, Safe Harbor has grown to nearly 600 accounts spanning 20 states, and processed over $12 billion in cannabis-related transactions.

Seefried regularly provides cannabis banking education and expertise to legislators, regulators, attorneys generals, state officials, and financial institutions. She is on a mission to normalize banking for the cannabis industry, while assisting law enforcement and federal agencies to be more effective at combating illicit activities and protecting the financial system.

To share her knowledge, Seefried authored the book ‘Navigating Safe Harbor – Cannabis Banking in Uncertain Times’ in 2016, as well as contributed a chapter on cannabis banking in the university textbook ‘The Politics of Marijuana: A New Paradigm’ by Timothy McGettigan.

Business is an Art

When Sundie isn’t taking a meeting or giving guidance to her team, she picks up a paint brush and goes to work. There is nothing more relaxing than a blank canvas and a hot cup of tea when Sundie needs to unwind from a long week in the boardroom. Sundie’s bright and intensely focused personality comes out with her use of bright and vibrant colors. Everyone needs a creative outlet, but you would never think a CEO is involved in the fine arts. Once you start to take a closer look, the pieces fall into place.

Sundie loves to create. She finds opportunity in a blank slate. Her ability to look past a blank slate is why she experienced so much success as a leader in the financial sector. Her attention to detail is second to none and that’s easy to see. When she created the cannabis banking program for Safe Harbor Financial, she researched contemplated and studied every possible nook and cranny which has proven to be successful 7 years later. An artist’s passion can be overwhelming. We can say the same about Sundie when it comes to her sense of community. She brought people together for one common goal and her passion flows through us.

Another value that drives SHF is perseverance. All fine pieces of art are a process, and Safe Harbor Financial is Sundie’s finest piece of art. Without perseverance, this program would have never seen the light of day without her ability to erase, rearrange, and implement. If you haven’t painted a picture of Sundie Seefried in your head by now, we will leave you with one last thing…

“If no one ever took risks, Michaelangelo would have painted the Sistine floor.” – Neil Simon

A bit of History

  • Served on the Colorado Credit Union Association board 2007-2015.
  • As an officer on the previous Colorado Association Board, as part of the executive committee, she assisted with the facilitation of the 3 state merger of associations – Colorado, Wyoming and Arizona.
  • Sat as Chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee from 2013-2015.
  • Served on the Colorado Association Governmental Affairs Committee since 2004.
  • Served on PSCU’s quality assurance advisory board in (1998/1999).
  • Served as a member of State Senator Shawn Mitchell’s finance committee in 2005 and 2008.
  • Held a board member position of Ambassadors International (2003-2006); a mission organization establishing orphanage projects in South Africa.
  • Treasurer of Bethesda (2001-2003); a mission organization establishing orphanage projects in South Africa.
  • Sundie established and managed the Partner Colorado Foundation in 2005/2006; raising and granting in excess of $250,000 in educational scholarships to date; all employee raised and managed.
  • Ends her time at Partner Colorado Credit Union to take on Safe Harbor Financial full time in 2021 as CEO/President.
  • Facilitated a $185M merger with Northern Lights Acquisition Corp and Safe Harbor Financial in February 2022

Top 20 Dynamic CEOs of 2020

“A decade spent helping establish two orphanages in South Africa taught Sundie Seefried, CEO of Partner Colorado Credit Union, how important acceptance is to establishing communication, building relationships and achieving success. Despite her conservative upbringing, she chose to accept the legitimacy of the cannabis industry, identifying the opportunity to offer groundbreaking, necessary financial services to a burgeoning business category. While many financial institutions judged the morality of legalizing cannabis, Sundie spent her time delving into research.

She admits to having an ethical dilemma early on, wondering about the legacy she would create, but instead she came to the conclusion that providing a legitimate business with reliable financial services was absolutely the right thing to do…and she did it in a wildly successful fashion. Today, she is proud of her innovative work in uncharted territory. Under her guidance, Partner Colorado Credit Union and its division, Safe Harbor Private Banking, have become a leader in Colorado’s cannabis related financial services.”

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