PULL QUOTE: “We understand member experience as an enterprise responsibility. The CXO role acts as a steward of experience, helping translate strategy into day-to-day behaviors and decisions.” — Kim Riley, Chief Experience Officer, Wright-Patt Credit Union
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CAPTION: Kim Riley, Chief Experience Officer, Wright-Patt Credit Union
Kim Riley has been the chief experience officer at Wright-Patt Credit Union ($9.6B, Beavercreek, OH) since January 2025. She previously held the roles of senior vice president of member experience and vice president of service delivery at the Ohio cooperative.
What has changed in member experience, what hasn’t, and how has its leadership matured at credit unions?
Kim Riley: At its core, the chief experience role has always been about serving members. What has evolved is how we look at the many moving parts that influence a member’s experience. Consequently, the role has evolved into a strategic, enterprise-level leadership function that sits at the intersection of member needs, operational reality, and organizational strategy.
Member experience is not a linear journey or a set of touchpoints. It’s a dynamic ecosystem that spans everything we do — including digital platforms, front-line interactions, internal processes, and employee behaviors. Intentionally looking at that dynamic ecosystem as a whole helps better serve our members.
One example of how the role has shifted because of this mindset is how we focus our improvement efforts. Rather than optimizing individual experiences, we focus on designing systems that consistently deliver trust, ease, and value at scale. As digital offerings and self-service capabilities continue to expand, the experience leadership function now focuses on ensuring those tools are intuitive, inclusive, and supported by real people when members need them most.
The CXO role has also matured to balance member expectations, like personalization, transparency, and speed without losing the caring service and relational strengths that make us stand out as credit unions. This helps organizations deliver modern, competitive experiences while staying true to our missions.
Also, and importantly, the role has expanded beyond member-facing moments to include employee experience, operational alignment, and organizational readiness. Experience outcomes today are deeply influenced by how well teams are equipped, how clearly expectations are set, and how effectively departments work together.
As a result, the CXO role is now a catalyst for cross-functional alignment, change management, and cultural consistency.
How does your organization approach member experience, and where does dedicated MX leadership have the most impact today?
Kim Riley: At WPCU, part of our vision is to be the best organization our member-owners have ever experienced. Dedicated MX leadership is critical in working toward that vision. It ensures experience is intentional, measurable, and sustainable. Centralization helps with consistency, managing competing priorities, and establishing clear accountability for outcomes.
We understand member experience as an enterprise responsibility. The CXO role acts as a steward of experience, helping translate strategy into day-to-day behaviors and decisions.
Today, dedicated MX leadership has the most impact in three areas:
- Aligning Across Functions — Experience leaders help ensure the credit union evaluates operational, digital, risk, and people decisions through a consistent member and employee lens, especially as services become more complex and technology-driven.
- Evolving Success Measurement — Member experience is no longer defined by a single score. Member experience leaders help interpret a broad set of signals such as behavioral trends, operational friction, employee insight, and long-term outcomes to guide smarter decisions and investments.
- Strengthening Culture And Accountability — As expectations rise, clarity matters. Member experience leadership helps establish shared expectations around serving members, supporting employees, and balancing efficiency with care. This creates consistency while acknowledging the varied ways teams contribute to the member experience.
In today’s environment, experience is a strategic differentiator rather than a program or a department. The CXO role ensures experience remains aligned with the credit union’s purpose while adapting to changing member needs, workforce dynamics, and competitive pressures.
This interview has been edited and condensed.