The National Credit Union Administration in Alexandria, Virginia, is suddenly searching for a new general counsel after 30-year veteran Michael McKenna said he is retiring.

Administration Chairman Rodney Hood said in a statement that McKenna "shared his decision to retire" on Nov. 19.

"During this initial transition, Frank Kressman will serve as the acting general counsel while we continue to conduct our search for the next general counsel," the statement added.

The general counsel reports to the three-person board of directors, headed by Hood.

Neither McKenna nor the agency's communications office immediately returned phone calls or emails for an interview.

The organization is an independent federal agency created by the U.S. Congress to oversee and regulate federal credit unions.

McKenna joined the agency in 1989 as an attorney, according to his bio. He served as senior policy adviser for two administration board members in 2001 and 2002. In 2003, McKenna became deputy executive director, and at the end of 2004 he was named deputy general counsel.

He was appointed general counsel in 2011. He earned $279,000 plus a $1,500 bonus in 2017, according to the latest statistics available.

Before joining the agency, McKenna served as staff judge advocate for the U.S. Army at Fort Hood, Texas, where he focused on criminal prosecutions from 1986 to 1988. He then served as assistant staff judge advocate at the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command in Falls Church, Virginia.

McKenna earned his law degree from American University's Washington College of Law, in Washington, D.C.

Kressman, now acting general counsel, is also a longtime employee of the agency. He joined in 1998 as a staff attorney and rose through the ranks. He was named deputy general counsel 10 months ago.

The office of general counsel duties include representing the agency in litigation, executing administrative actions, and interpreting the Federal Credit Union Act and the agency's rules and regulations, according to the agency's annual report to Congress last year.

In addition, it also processes Freedom of Information Act requests, advises the board and the agency on general legal matters and maintains the agency's records management program. The general counsel's office also drafts regulations designed to ensure the safety and soundness of credit unions.

McKenna's departure is the second major change for the agency this year. In April, Hood replaced former board chairman Mark McWatters as chairman after McWatters stepped down and became a board member. Both men were appointees of President Donald Trump.

McWatters, who lives in and worked from Dallas, had been heavily criticized and investigated by the agency's inspector general for extravagant travel and entertainment expenses, including an $11,000 first-class trip to Vienna, Austria, and a $10,000 first-class trip to Barcelona, Spain. No actions were taken against him and he did reimburse some of the expenses.