Before joining Firelands Federal Credit Union ($554.6M, Bellevue, OH) as chief financial officer in 2023, Don Rositano built a career at the intersection of banking and membership-driven retail, shaping how he approaches value, pricing, and performance.

Before entering the credit union space, Rositano spent more than a decade with Sam’s Club, where he led finance for a $2.2 billion division. That environment, where members pay for access and expect clear value in return, mirrors the credit union model more than it might seem, he says — and reinforced a core belief he carries into his current role: get value right for members, and the financial results follow.

Personal And Professional Journey

What attracted you to the credit union industry?

Don Rositano: I am fortunate to have been the CFO of two different community-based banks and most recently was the senior finance manager of a $2.2 billion division of Sam’s Club out of Bentonville, AK.

I loved working for Sam’s, but Cleveland is my home. My family and kids are here, and we were ready to be closer to them. When the CFO opportunity at Firelands came up, I felt my banking and membership experience would dovetail nicely. At Sam’s, we understood members pay for the privilege to shop there; that’s our philosophy at the credit union, too.

What has surprised you about working in the credit union space?

DR: One of the biggest surprises is that profitability is not the focus, people are. In my prior position, I had to reforecast our profit and sales projections every week, and we needed to produce solutions if we were suffering a shortfall.

At Firelands, although we need profits to fund growth, serving our members is our priority goal, and we forecast to meet their needs. Our profitability is a by-product of those relationships. In the three years I’ve been here, our cumulative annual growth rate is 10.46% — without mergers or adding branches — and our ROA has jumped from 0.66% to 1.41% year-to-date.

The Credit Union Learning Curve

How would you compare the culture of credit unions to your previous industry?

DR: There are a lot of similarities between Sam’s Club and Firelands. Both companies are driven to provide ultimate value to their members and to curate product offerings to reduce confusion and maximize value. Many companies like to provide products and services that have all these bells and whistles when what most members want is a great product at a great price.

Did you have any misconceptions about credit unions when you joined?

DR: As a former banker, my viewpoint was limited by industry misconceptions. I felt credit unions were behind in innovation and technological sophistication. Credit unions were the institutions you went to for auto lending and Christmas Club accounts.

The longer I’ve been in this position, I realize how wrong I was. Credit unions can master the balance of national competition, service, and evolving technology while still taking care of and seeing the member as an individual instead of a number.

What challenges did you face transitioning into the credit union space?

DR: Credit union jargon. Calling deposits “shares” and interest “dividends” has taken me a while. I’ve also had to change my thinking about profitability and service. I’ve spent a lot of time on nonprofit boards, and I love this serving philosophy in our company.

Leadership And Strategy

How did your prior financial services experience shape your leadership approach at the credit union?

DR: At Walmart, there would always be times when other retailers were cheaper, and we understood that. We wanted to be the consistent price leader, not chase a short-term discount. At Firelands, we’ve been trying to position ourselves so members are better off overall with our products than anywhere else.

For example, in my first year, we increased our primary share rate well above the rest of our competitors. We were able to create some savings in one of our expense categories and instead of dropping those savings to our bottom line, we reinvested them in higher yields on members’ dividends.

What lessons or strategies from your career have proven most valuable in your credit union role?

DR: At Sam’s I learned the importance of viewing pricing specials as an investment versus a cost. The goal is to offer something well-priced and use this as a gateway to have them experience more of the club.

I’ve used that same mindset at the credit union, and we have offered aggressive CD rates for shorter terms of four to seven months. We’ve found we do not lose this money when the CD expires, and the higher rate inspires higher loyalty.

We also never have a special only for new money. That tells existing members they are not as important. We’re in it for the long term. Our mindset has resulted in gaining greater share of our existing members’ wallet.

In addition, we offer a well-priced money market account where our highest yield right now is 3%. Our money market accounts have grown 40% in 2024 and 30% in 2025. Our members want an excellent rate but also want liquidity and freedom to move their money.

As a bonus, I enjoy paying a lower rate versus CDs and appreciate the flexibility to adjust rates based on market ebbs and flows.

What aspects of leading a credit union required a completely new mindset or skillset for you?

DR: Sam’s is a destination club. When I left, it had around 600 clubs throughout the nation. It can afford to invest in the largest markets because members will come. When I worked in a club, we had members who would come from 60 miles away every month to stock up.

However, many credit union members need physical closeness of a local branch. Not that they necessarily use it, but they want the comfort of knowing it is there when they need it.  We are investigating ways to meet those needs while balancing the high costs of an extensive branch network.

Members-First Focus

How did you adapt to the members-first model? Are there parallels to your previous roles?

DR: I came from a member-focused organization. It bothers me when I see financial institutions focus more on profits than customers. For example, we have many banks around us that might offer a nice special CD rate, but they keep their basic rates below 1%. If a customer does not inquire, they will go from a 4% special down to a 0.15% CD rate as it rolls over. I find that unethical and anti-customer.

How have you helped improve member engagement or services?

DR: We are looking forward to making some adjustments to our checking accounts. Members want a payment mechanism at a low cost. We listened to what members are asking for, and we’ll be adding member send capabilities for both RTP and FedNow.

There’s fraud risk with these payment streams, and frankly, we need to be OK with some losses to offer these services. If we don’t, members will move to other financial institutions or fintechs that offer them. In the next few years, it is going to be a requirement as a financial institution to be in business. The writing is on the wall; I don’t want to be left behind.

Advice And Future Outlook

What advice do you have for someone considering an executive role in a credit union, especially if they’re coming from another industry?

DR: Be open to the process and understand it can be tough because we answer to members and not to shareholders. The most critical thing they need to understand is that we need to be member focused.

If you do what’s right for the members, they appreciate it and the business will grow. It’s satisfying hearing other bank employees say how wonderful we are and if they cannot do something, they refer the customer to us.

You also need to be active in the community. I’ve walked in parades; I’ve manned an inflatable slide at a community festival. If you have no desire to be part of the community, then maybe a credit union is not for you. We’ve assumed many leadership positions that community banks used to lead.

How might your prior experience help shape the future of your credit union’s strategy?

DR: I’ve been the main proponent of bringing in a data warehouse. I’ve seen the power of analytics and the ability to drive business through understanding our own membership base. A warehouse lets you see where you should focus your limited resources to help the most members, and that can drive your growth.

Harvard did a study a while back that showed the more options you offer a customer, the more confused they become about what to buy. And sometimes they purchase nothing.

I looked at our product line at Sam’s and noticed we had several products that were not profitable. We reduced our product line by more than 40%, saw a 1% to 2% reduction in sales over the next 12 months, but saw a 25% profit improvement. It also set up the division in the following years to increase sales faster than the rest of the market.

Personal Reflections

What’s been the most fulfilling part of working in the credit union space?

DR: I love our place in the community. Our CEO goes to different county fairs and makes sure each 4H participant gets a fair price for their entry. We’ve spent $75,000 on these fairs, but the smiles on the participants’ faces are priceless. We’re the champions of the underdog and pride ourselves in making sure no one is left behind.

If you could give yourself advice on your first day at a credit union, what would it be?

DR: Don’t get too anxious to perform. Learn the culture of the credit union and look for ways where you can enhance it. Enjoy the ride. It’s a rewarding experience.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

What can you learn from like-minded leaders? Don Rositano’s path from Sam’s Club to credit union CFO is a reminder that the best strategic instincts often come from unexpected places. Callahan Roundtables put credit union finance executives in the same room to share what’s working, pose hard questions, and learn from peers navigating the same challenges. Learn more and register.

The post Insights From The Outside: Don Rositano appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

If there’s one person who knows the history at SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union ($36.7B, Tustin, CA), it’s Marina Miller. More than 40 years ago, when it was still known as Orange County Teachers Credit Union, she inquired about a summer job before college. She’s been there ever since.

Although opportunities just kept showing up, Miller says it’s the culture that has kept her there.

“We make a difference for the community members we serve, and serving the educational community is so impactful,” she says. “This is where I belong and where I can do the best work.”

For more than a decade, Miller has served as SchoolsFirst FCU’s vice president of history and culture, a job that connects her to the credit union’s roots and helps her educate others on where the credit union came from and where it’s going.

What is your elevator pitch when someone asks what you do?

Marina Miller: I’m responsible for ensuring our culture stays alive and our values are embedded into everything we do. I also get to work on finding ways to show appreciation for our team, so recognitions, rewards, and celebrations are hosted in my area. We know that if we take care of the team, they will take care of the members. That’s been our secret sauce.

We’re 92 years strong at this point. It’s important we understand where we came from so we know where we’re going. In our new corporate office, we dedicated a room to display the rich history and legacy of our credit union. We start with the beginning of the credit union movement and walk through the years of how SchoolsFirst FCU — then known as Orange County Teachers Credit Union — was formed and who our founding fathers were. We have wonderful pictures and artifacts built out in the space. It is an experience. All of our new hires go through it to understand where we’ve come from and what we’ve done.

What’s the story behind your title?

MM: Rudy Hanley was the CEO here for 32 years, and when he retired, he said the one thing that kept him up at night was wondering what was going to happen with the culture of the credit union. He led with a member-service focus, and that’s what we’re here for.

We took a lot of time trying to figure out the best way to keep our culture alive. He felt it was important to create a position, which is the position I’m in now, to preserve the history and culture for the credit union, and he felt I would be the person who could lead it. What an honor to have your CEO approach you and say, “I want to make sure our culture stays alive and that our history is always at the forefront, and I want you to lead that.”

It was an opportunity I could never say no to. I was flattered, and I hope I’ve made him proud. We’ve really grown the role, and it’s been infused into everything we do.

What makes your role interesting?

MM: To take our history and make it interesting and relevant to today in different ways has been exciting. I also lead the meeting and event technology side of the house, so we’ve been able to lean into video and technology for some of the learning tech. The more new ways to get our history in front of our team, the better. Especially now that we serve the whole state of California, folks don’t always have an opportunity to visit and explore our history room.

What part of your role energizes you? Conversely, what part challenges you the most?

MM: We serve four different generations of a workforce, and not everybody wants to be taught, recognized and celebrated in the same way. Finding ways to make those connections is a challenge, but I view it as a fun opportunity to make an impact at different levels. Trying to figure out what motivates and keeps team members engaged is interesting — you think you understand it until you don’t, and then you have to pivot.

For our Dream Team conference, an annual event celebrating all 3,000 team members at once, we needed new ways to make connections. We used to do in-person conferences, but today it’s hard to do that, so we had to find new ways to make it more engaging. We came up with an app where we can have interactive activities during the conference for team members to join remotely. That’s been different because we’re going from in-person to virtual but still engaging team members and ensuring they’re able to participate.

Are there any misconceptions about your role?

MM: People think we’re the party people; we’re always just having fun. Little do they know there’s a lot of work that goes into everything we do because everything has to be curated for the special activity or event to ensure alignment and at the same time, stay on budget. We’re very resourceful, and we have to get super creative which can be a challenge when planning over 50 events each year. Team members might not know all the details it takes to make everything come together; they just experience it when it’s pushed through.

What is the No. 1 skill you need to do your job?

MM: A passion to serve.

Could someone from outside the credit union step into this role?

MM: I don’t think you need tenure to be successful in this role. I took the responsibility of this role to a level where I would want to make Rudy Hanley proud. Everything I do is documented — we have photos, videos, we have storyboards, we have printed material about our history. If someone really wanted to be successful in this role, they could learn about it and become engrossed in it. If they have that passion to serve, they’ll figure it out.

Clearly, it would be easier if you knew a little about the credit union’s history, but you can learn that. The right person who has passion and creativity can be successful.

How does your role contribute to the success of the credit union in ways people might not expect?

MM: I have a team of four direct reports, two of whom assist me with organizational events and meetings, a manager who primarily oversees a team of 10 who runs our Dream Team Orientation and Service University, and a fourth person who supports our media and event technology. Our success is the fact that we help tell the credit union’s story. We build a foundation for incoming team members and we help tell the story through technology.

How do you define success in your role?

MM: Through our team-engagement scores and member-engagement scores. They’re outstanding — they’re top class. We try to get the pulse of our team on how they’re feeling, how engaged they are, and we have team members openly share if they have issues or concerns through our annual team engagement survey. We have a great recognition platform that we lead and host — called the Pulse, funnily enough — and our team members tell us how we’re doing.

If your role didn’t exist, what would your credit union be missing?

MM: I don’t know if we’d have as much of a focus on and respect for the past. In the next decade, there’s going to be so many tenured people, with so many years of credit union history who will be retiring and leaving the credit union in the hands of those who come behind us. It will be interesting to see whether it will continue in that same manner.

Why do credit unions need this role?

MM: We need to realize where we came from; some of those humble beginnings and how we made an impact on the lives we serve. We can shape our future with our past if we understand this is where we came from, this is what sets us up for success, and if we continue on this path, we’ll continue to grow and thrive. That says a lot about who we are. It’s all of those member stories and the impact we make in the school districts and the way we give back to the communities we serve. We are definitely here to serve our members, not ourselves, and people need to understand that difference.

What should people know about your role that you haven’t addressed already?

MM: Our stories and impact we make to the communities we serve extend beyond our doors. Whenever we need to rally on the legislative front, we have a story to tell and we’re ready to put it out in front of them. It’s not just internal, it’s about how we continue to stay at the forefront when it comes to the political scene.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Member engagement begins with employee empowerment. SchoolsFirst FCU’s investment in culture, from onboarding experiences to recognition programs, reflects what Gallup research confirms: when employees feel connected to the mission, they deliver experiences that build emotional trust and drive member loyalty. The Member Engagement & Financial Wellbeing Consortium helps credit unions activate this internal shift from the inside out. Learn more.

The post What’s In A Name: Vice President Of History And Culture appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

Langley Federal Credit Union ($5.BB, Newport New, VA) just received a 2026 Exceptional Workplace Award, recognizing organizations with the highest levels of employee engagement worldwide. Only 78 organizations earned it this year, representing roughly 4% of those evaluated. We are proud of that recognition. But the award is not the story. The story is about what it took to get there.

One year ago, Langley was already in the top 10% of all organizations measured for employee engagement. That is not a bad place to be. Most leaders would call that a win and move on. We did not. We asked a harder question: What would it take to be truly exceptional?

The answer was not another event. It was not a new perk or a bigger budget for employee appreciation. It was intentionality.

We got intentional about engagement the way you get intentional about any strategic priority. We named it. We trained for it. We measured it. We held our managers accountable for it. And we did not let it become a once-a-year survey exercise. We made it a daily practice.

Here is what that looked like in practice.

We started with purpose. Not a purpose statement written in the executive offices and handed down to the organization. We went to our people and we listened. What emerged from those conversations became the foundation of who we are: Investing in People for a Brighter Future. Those words did not come from a leadership retreat or a consulting firm. They came from the people who live them every day. That is not a small thing. When employees help define the purpose of an organization, they do not just understand it. They own it. And ownership is the beginning of engagement.

We invested in our managers. Managers are the single greatest driver of engagement in any organization. Not HR. Not the CEO. The direct manager. When an employee feels seen, supported, and developed, that experience almost always traces back to their relationship with their immediate leader. We trained our managers to have better conversations. Real ones. Not check-the-box one-on-ones, but genuine dialogue about what their people needed, what was getting in their way, and how they could grow.

We focused on communication. Not announcements. Communication. There is a difference. Announcements flow in one direction. Communication is a two-way exchange. We worked to create an environment where employees could speak up, provide input, and trust that their voices would be heard. That trust does not come from a suggestion box. It comes from consistent follow-through over time.

We measured what mattered. There is a phrase that has proven itself true in every high-performing organization: what you measure gets done. When we began tracking engagement at the team level and holding leaders responsible for those results, behavior changed. Not because we demanded it. Because leaders could see it, respond to it, and take ownership of it.

When you put all of that together, something shifts. And the data confirms it.

Research shows highly engaged organizations see 18% higher productivity, 78% lower absenteeism, and 21% lower turnover compared to their peers. They also generate 23% higher profitability. These are not soft numbers. They are bottom-line results that directly affect your ability to serve your customers, retain your talent, and sustain your mission.

For Langley, that mission is serving our members. Engaged employees deliver better member service because they care about their work. That connection between employee experience and member experience is not a theory. It is a pattern we see every day.

We have always been a great place to work. We celebrate our people. We invest in their development and their families. But being a great place to work and being an engaged workplace are not the same thing. Great workplaces keep people comfortable. Engaged workplaces keep people connected. Connected to purpose. Connected to one another. Connected to the people they serve.

That connection is what moved us from the top 10% to the top 2%.

If you lead an organization, here is the honest takeaway. You cannot “event” your way to engagement. You cannot celebrate your way there either. Engagement is built in the daily interactions between a manager and their team. It is built in cultures where feedback flows freely and accountability runs in both directions. It is built when leaders stop treating engagement as an annual survey and start treating it as a leadership responsibility.

And sometimes, it is built in the moment you hand the microphone to your people and actually listen to what they say.

That is how you build engagement. And that is how Investing in People for a Brighter Future became more than a tagline. It became the truth of who we are.

Langley Federal Credit Union is honored to be recognized as an exceptional workplace. We are more honored by what the journey taught us about our people and what is possible when you commit to leading them well.

Jerome Fowlkes is chief impact officer at Langley Federal Credit Union.

The post Engagement Is Not A Perk. It Is A Strategy. appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

Top-Level Takeaways

• Technology increasingly shapes the employee experience, making closer alignment between IT and HR a strategic advantage.
• The chief people and technology officer role at Vantage West Credit Union reframes HR systems around employees, not administration.
• Organizational design should reflect talent, not tradition.

The path to head of human resources is rarely paved with a career in technology. Rob Hoyle is proud to be an exception.

After spending most of his career outside financial services, Hoyle found his way to the credit union industry in 2018, taking the role of chief information officer at Credit Union of America. He says he immediately identified with credit unions’ people-first mission.

“I am a leader who’s empathetic and wants to help people thrive,” Hoyle explains. “I’m a huge culture champion. I genuinely care about the success of the organization and the individuals that make up the team.”

Hoyle joined Vantage West Credit Union ($3.3B, Tucson, AZ) as its chief information officer in 2021and has served as the credit union’s chief people and technology officer since June 2025.

What’s the story behind your title?

RH: Our senior vice president of human resources was retiring, and I told the CEO I’d like to take a shot at human resources. I pointed to one of my first initiatives at Vantage West, which was introduce a management and employee engagement platform. There’s never really great collaboration between technology and HR. We spend so much time on the member experience through technology, we need to create a great team member experience, too.

How would you describe your job duties? What falls under the umbrella of technology and human resources at Vantage West?

RH: I’m so incredibly fortunate to lead teams that are highly engaged and full of tremendously skilled professionals.

On the technology side, it’s all of IT — information security, application development, data, systems, networks, all of that. On the human resources side, it includes traditional HR, organizational development, facilities, and physical security. I also have accountability for mergers and acquisitions. We’re not doing anything right now, but in terms of prospecting, diligence, and integration, I would lead that effort if something came across our desks.

When you interact with others in the industry, are there misconceptions about what your role means?

RH: I don’t think there are misconceptions so much as raised eyebrows. There’s a unicorn in my LinkedIn bio for a reason.

Even internally, people have asked, “Why would you give human resources to the technology leader?” I’m working on helping people understand that I’m not just the technology leader. I’m the chief people leader. I’m both. Every time it comes up, people stop, read it twice, and say, “Wait, what?”

From the application process onward, technology influences how people decide whether they want to work with you.

What part of your role energizes you the most? Conversely, what challenges you the most?

RH: The challenges are where the energy comes from. I enjoy solving problems and making things better. The biggest challenge has been learning everything HR entails. It’s far more complicated than people realize if they’ve never been behind that curtain. There are so many considerations for every decision.

That’s also what energizes me. Very few HR leaders have ever been customers of HR. I bring that perspective and ask why we do things in a certain way. Sometimes, I wonder if the team is thinking, “Here comes Rob with another crazy idea.” But they’ve been very receptive and open to either explaining or rethinking things.

What’s an experience or accomplishment that stands out as especially rewarding or meaningful to you?

RH: One of the most impactful things we’ve done since the role change is rethinking our organizational development philosophy. We used to be very prescriptive with specific programs, nomination processes, and assumptions about who should attend what. One of the first things I questioned was why. Why those programs? Why not more autonomy?

Now, for external professional development, leaders have a blank canvas. We focus on the people who need development and find opportunities that fit them. If someone’s in finance, maybe it’s a finance-specific training instead of a credit union one.

If everyone goes to the same training, everyone learns the same things. We’re looking for diversity of thought and experience and more meaningful development for individuals.

How do you define success in your role? Beyond metrics and formal accountability, what tells you you’re doing the job well?

RH: I feel successful when other people achieve their goals, whether that’s professional development or personal milestones. I love seeing someone graduate, earn a degree, or be recognized for something.

We recently migrated our phone system, and nothing went wrong. I didn’t touch a single keystroke. I sponsored it and was accountable for it, but the team owned it and executed it flawlessly. That’s success to me — having a team that can get things done and do it well. There’s no KPI for that. It’s a feeling.

Is there anything you’re particularly excited about or looking forward to in 2026?

RH: Every year, I bring my entire organization together for a half-day event. For years, the team asked for more involvement. We increased it a little each year.

Last year, we brought in Tucson Improv. We turned the involvement up to 11. Some of our team members aren’t the biggest fans of public speaking, so there were some very nervous faces, but it was universally well-received.

Engagement afterward was through the roof. Watching the team stretch, learn, come together, and have fun is incredibly fulfilling for me. So, what I’m most excited about in 2026 is figuring out how in the world I’m going to top that.

What would make you tell another credit union that a role like this — or at least deeper collaboration between technology and HR — is worth considering?

RH: Executive org charts should reflect the talent you have.

That said, there is tremendous value in understanding how technology shapes the employee experience. No one says, “I love working in my HRIS.” These systems are designed for HR departments, not employees. From the application process onward, technology influences how people decide whether they want to work with you. Are you asking them to fax something? Can your system read a résumé, or do they have to type everything in again?

Our people are our greatest asset. We need to equip them with every advantage possible, and many of those advantages are technology-based.

Too often, HR and technology operate in silos, sometimes speaking completely different languages. The goal is collaboration, understanding, and designing systems that make people’s lives better.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Job titles say as much about the organization as they do the person. “What’s In A Name” on CreditUnions.com dives into notable, important, interesting, or just plain fun roles to find out what’s happening at the ground level and across the industry. Read the series today.

The post What’s In A Name: Chief People And Technology Officer appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

A majority of Americans need all the help they can get in the regard. In its Emergency Savings Report, Bankrate reports as of December 2025, fewer than one-quarter, 24%, of Americans had emergency savings and only 19% could cover three months or more of expenses. A separate study last year found the median amount of savings across most demographics was just $500.

MEDIAN SAVINGS BY GENERATION
FOR SAMPLE SIZE | DATA AS OF 06.30.25
SOURCE: EMPOWER/THE CURRENCY

“It’s well known in our industry that most Americans don’t have $500 saved for an emergency,” says Brandalynn Winchester-Middlebrook, executive vice president and chief people and purpose officer at Lake Trust Credit Union. “Recognizing that’s something our team might not have, we wanted to support them in their journey to prepare for a future emergency with the confidence that if something arose, they’d have funds set aside.”

In response, the credit union designed an emergency savings program to help employees build $500 in savings during 2025. For every dollar employees set aside in a savings account, Lake Trust made a dollar-for-dollar match up to $250.

The credit union also included a handful of stipulations to protect the FI and its employees:

• Staffers had to open a Team Member Emergency Savings Account, which Lake Trust created specifically for this purpose.
• Employees had to make eight payments via payroll direct deposit.
• Employees could withdrawal funds throughout the year if necessary, but accounts with more than one withdrawal were ineligible for the $250 match.
• The credit union would not match balances until after Dec. 31, 2025.

The last stipulation especially demonstrates how thoughtfully the credit union thought through the account.

“We didn’t want to get to the end of the year and have it be like a Christmas Club account where people withdraw it  to do their holiday shopping,” Winchester-Middlebrook says. “We made a point of having the match period happen after the end of the year.”

Starting A Savings Habit

The direct deposit requirement was another element crucial to the success of the program.

“We thought if we could get team members to take the savings out of their paycheck directly and deposit it, over time they’d become more comfortable with having that money come out,” Winchester-Middlebrook says. “They wouldn’t notice it, as opposed to getting their pay and having to turn around to make a deposit.”

That design takes into account behavioral economics and the understanding that people prefer pre-set options and maintaining the status quo, she adds. If employees could get into the habit of saving, they were unlikely to drop that habit unless absolutely necessary.

Buy-in across the credit union was essential, too. Rather than HR solely leading the charge, Winchester-Middlebrook notes that Lake Trust’s leadership team worked collaboratively to develop the program.

“Our leadership team works together on our wellbeing journey with our team and decided this was the next stake in the ground we wanted to place,” she says.

The initiative did not require board approval, in part because it feeds into the credit union’s broader mission of financial wellness.

Staffers were excited when Lake Trust rolled out the program as part of its annual business plan, Winchester-Middlebrook says, adding that the credit union promoted the program through high-level communication, a page on the credit union’s intranet, an FAQ, and more. Senior leaders conducted huddles with every manager in the organization to ensure they understood how to present the program to their team, and managers were encouraged to walk their teams through the online account-opening process so there was no confusion about how to get started. Many even challenged their employees to set up the accounts together.

An online calculator also helped team members determine how long it would take to reach certain savings goals and how the credit union’s match could help them meet their goals.

Crucially, the credit union provided financial wellbeing and financial wellness educational sessions throughout the year. Those courses covered not only savings but also debt reduction, investing for the future, and more.

Lessons Learned

All told, employees opened 338 accounts and 290 received a match; the remainder were disqualified based on the number of withdrawals throughout the year. Of the 290 who received matching funds, a full 276 — approximately 58% of all employees — received the full amount, says Winchester-Middlebrook. At the conclusion of the program, the credit union paid out approximately $72,000 in matching funds, and employees built up a savings of $277,323, including funds from the credit union.

Lake Trust plans to continue offering the program in some way, although it won’t be an exact replica of the 2025 edition. Winchester-Middlebrook says one possibility is a high-yield account to help boost savings even more.

After all, helping employees build a savings discipline is a lifelong benefit that extends far beyond the credit union’s walls, a sentiment echoed in program participant feedback.

“I wanted to remain anonymous, but I also wanted to share how much I appreciated the Emergency Savings Program,” one employee wrote. “I have always tried to save but never been successful because I withdraw and then I keep taking from it. The calculator and stipulations helped me immensely. Thank you sincerely, this has truly benefitted me financially.”

Winchester-Middlebrook says if she had it all to do again, she wouldn’t make it easier —  she’d advise more communication and guidance to ensure everyone understood the details and the benefits of the offer.

“You could say, ‘Make it simple, don’t have any restrictions,’” she adds. “But some of those restrictions ended up leading to the outcomes that were desired.”

The most valuable lesson involved how to think creatively about improving the lives of those who help members first-hand every day.

“These are the folks working with our members every day trying to improve our members’ financial wellbeing,” Winchester-Middlebrook says. “We want their wellbeing to be at the highest possible level. That helps them feel more comfortable and confident working with our members, as well.”

The post A Small Match Builds Big Emergency Savings At Lake Trust appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

After a long run of merger-related growth — with a pandemic thrown in for good measure — Verve, a Credit Union ($1.6B, Oshkosh, WI), is once again poised for organic growth. All thanks to turnover on the senior leadership team and a new sales culture rooted in service.

Prior to the pandemic’s onset in March of 2020, Verve was on a run of mergers, including one of the industry’s few three-way mergers that served as the credit union’s genesis. Verve also acquired a bank and underwent a core conversion after the pandemic. Yet despite these steps, membership was on a slight downward trajectory.

“We weren’t hitting the way we should’ve been hitting,” says Kevin Ralofsky, CEO of Verve. “Our back office wasn’t as strong as it should’ve been with the efficiencies we should be gaining with a new core system. We also needed to be more savvy on our balance sheet management.”

New Team. New Eyes. New Products.

In early 2022, Ralofsky brought on Rema Momberg as the credit union’s new senior vice president of human resources as part of the leadership rebuild. a new CFO, Glen Stiteley, followed, along with temporarily outsourcing marketing to an agency. Former banker Mitchell Kime came aboard as chief growth officer in 2024 after logging time with big names like Key Bank, Capital One, and PNC, and Cyrene Wilke was added as the new chief operations officer in 2025.

“After we rebuilt the senior leadership team and had everyone rowing in the same direction, we started identifying new areas with new eyes where we can make a go at this,” Ralofsky says.

The cooperative’s average member age declined shortly after the CEO’s arrival in 2012, but it was slowly ticking back up to the high 40s and low 50s, depending on the product or service. The credit union had not focused on product development as a core differentiator, which left it trying to be everything to everybody.

“We offered a wide range of products and services, but we didn’t have a clear product strategy that truly set us apart in the market,” Ralofsky says. “As CEO, it’s my responsibility to help shape that clarity. After 13 years in this role, I know that when we align around a differentiated vision, we move forward with greater focus, confidence, and extraordinary potential.”

Armed with fresh eyes, the new leadership team conducted research to learn more about the credit union’s markets, the needs of potential members present in those areas, and the type of members Verve needed for long-term success.

That work led Verve to rollout four lifecycle-based bundles that pair checking, savings, and credit card products. The bundles anchor Verve’s new strategy of competitive pricing with a consultative approach.

“We want to help our members thrive,” Ralofsky says. “We use that word a lot now. If our members are thriving financially and personally, we’re thriving as well.”

The basic bundle aside, each package includes minimum balances requirements or fees. However, members can bundle accounts with a Verve credit card to eliminate monthly service fees. But the offers do more than benefit the balance sheet. Verve designed the bundles to appeal to specific member needs and change how members engage the credit union’s services.

“We’re focusing on helping our members thrive, both personally and financially, not just selling them a product,” Ralofsky says.

A Curve Of Acceptance

When Verve restructured its product suite, it also shifted to a sales culture that requires sharper listening to build deeper relationships with members. With that kind of change, organizations have to manage what Ralofsky calls the “curve of acceptance” to secure crucial staff buy-in.

An internal communications team led by HR and learning and development helped staff make the transition to a sales culture, walking through the changes with team members, discussing how it might feel, and assuring employees they’d have the right tools to make the switch.

“You’re going to skin your knees,” Ralofsky told his team. “But we’ll help you get back up and do it again and again.”

The credit union trained team leaders and departments — internally known as “spans of care” — on the nuts and bolts of the products as well as what it means to have a successful sales culture. Importantly, Verve gave employees permission to make mistakes and department leaders permission to embrace those mistakes, Ralofsky says.

Verve created its own online training module and every team member, including Ralofsky, completed the process multiple times. The credit union also held internal seminars to help employees communicate with members about the purpose and value of the new bundles and explain how the packaging enhances the overall member experience. For resistant members who wanted to stay in the product they already had, the credit union built messaging around what they were missing.

Ralofsky admits the move to a more intentional sales culture was a leap for some, but navigating the quick succession of mergers has made the Verve team remarkably agile.

“They know change, so they embrace it,” the CEO says.

Still, some associates did leave; others made intra-organization moves. Overall, though, Ralofsky says results have improved even as expectations have risen.

Along with consultations, those on the sales team also make calls and complete financial wellness checkups for members. That includes thanking them for their business and opening a dialogue to review current products, services, and financial needs to identify any opportunities to better position the member for financial success. Sometimes it’s a simple as a member explaining that they’re unsure how to pay for a child’s college or wedding. Other times it’s about digging deeper to understand why a member is making late payments.

“The key is to balance selling a product and meeting the needs of a member without shoving a product down their throat,” he says. “It’s a sales culture, but we’re leading with consultancy. We’re leading with solving problems.”

The Importance Of Leadership

Verve’s investments in products and people is beginning to pay off. After years of declining or zig-zagging performance, many key metrics at Verve are now leveling out or on the rise as of the third quarter of 2025, including member growth, ROA, and more.

The new senior leadership team has played no small part in that performance. Ralofsky admits to spending an extensive amount of time with SLT candidates during the interview process to ensure each one was the right fit. In most cases, he looped in other executive team members to determine a candidate’s cultural fit; some executives even met with candidates without Ralofsky. That’s just the CEO’s style.

“I’m interested in hearing what the candidate asks my executive team and vice versa,” he says. “It’s not an interview, it’s a conversation. It lasts an hour or two, then I leave the room and they talk more. Candidates understand much more about Verve, our culture, and my leadership style by the time they start, so it cuts out that first three months of tiptoeing around the office trying to figure out how the internal politics work.”

That’s been one of the biggest lessons he’s learned from the entire process: start cultural immersion and team building during the hiring process.

“The trust is already built, the excitement is there,” Ralofsky says. “They hit the ground running so much easier because they know who their allies are in the organization.”

What Can You Learn From Like-Minded Leaders? Credit unions are aligning leadership around common goals and responding to the evolving needs of members with a variety of products and services. Callahan Roundtables put leaders in the same room to share solutions, solicit feedback, pose questions, and more. Inspiration is a Callahan Roundtable away. Learn more today.

The post A New Leadership Team Focuses On Organic Growth At Verve appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

Top-Level Takeaways

• Dated onboarding and lack of support contributed to high turnover at Community First Credit Union of Florida.
• A new program with shared ownership of onboarding pushed retention above 80%.

When teller turnover began climbing at Community First Credit Union of Florida ($2.9B, Jacksonville, FL), leaders initially chalked it up to pandemic disruption and a tight labor market. But the longer the trend continued, the clearer it became that issues ran deeper.

As the Great Resignation unfolded, annual retention for front-line employees across its 25-branch footprint dropped as low as 69%, prompting difficult but necessary conversations about responsibility, readiness, and culture, says Lori Smith, the cooperative’s chief human resources officer.

“Life had changed with the pandemic; however, we as an organization had not evolved with the shift,” Smith says. “You can’t keep doing the same thing and expect different results.”

Straight To The Source

Instead of guessing why employees were leaving, Community First conducted focus groups that brought together those closest to the work. That included brand-new tellers, senior tellers, and tellers who had progressed into MSR roles, as well as branch and assistant branch managers.

Many teller participants had between six months and one year of tenure, offering perspective on both the onboarding experience and what happened once the training wheels came off. The credit union reviewed exit interview data alongside those conversations to add context.

Smith, who arrived at Community First as the pandemic raged in July 2021, says the goal was simple: go to the source rather than rely on assumptions or anecdotes.

“People closest to the work usually have the best answers,” she says. “We wanted to hear directly from them about their experience.”

The feedback was strikingly consistent, especially around how quickly expectations escalated.

According to Smith: “Our newer team members would say, ‘At Starbucks, they ask me to make coffee. That’s all I do. Here, I’m doing transactions, referrals, pushing lines of credit, and more — and without enough training.’”

The comparison underscored just how complex the teller role had become and how unprepared employees felt in their critical first weeks. The focus groups made it clear that relying on legacy approaches was no longer working and in some cases was contributing directly to turnover.

Those insights inspired Community First to redesign an onboarding experience anchored in a training incubator that blends real transactions with extended support from branch team members and the training and development staff. Rather than moving from classroom simulations straight into high-volume branches, new tellers now build skills in a live-but-supported branch environment with experienced mentors looking on.

Smith says the incubator helps to reduce the anxiety new tellers experience when serving members for the first time while others are waiting and watching across the counter.

“We didn’t want them to feel baptized by fire,” Smith says. “Now we’re investing in them and giving them real experience with a lifeline.”

New hires still complete orientation and other traditional onboarding processes, then start with smaller transactions, learn in real time, and gain comfort before performing independently during peak traffic.

Support Beyond Day One

Notably, support continues after onboarding ends. Leaders conduct formal check-ins at 60 and 90 days, reinforcing engagement and a shared accountability for retention. These conversations are designed to ensure new hires feel connected, noticed, and supported during the period when turnover risk is highest, Smith says.

Within three months of implementing the new onboarding model, teller turnover began to decline. Six months in, Community First revisited the focus groups to assess what was working and where adjustments were still needed. It learned training changes alone were not enough, so it also formalized peer groups among the new team members and leadership check-ins to reinforce connection after onboarding ends.

Branch managers and other leaders now play a defined role in welcoming team members, including the check-ins and sharing accountability for retention beyond HR. Smith says those peer connections matter because early relationships shape whether team members feel noticed and supported.

“Retention stopped being just an HR responsibility,” Smith says. “All leaders play a critical role in creating the environment our team members work in every day.”

Perspective And Opportunity

Community First also expanded onboarding to give new team members a clearer view of the entire credit union, addressing another gap uncovered through feedback. Short presentations from departments across the organization now help new team members understand how all teams support members.

“We wanted to move away from siloed thinking,” Smith says. “We wanted our team members to understand it’s an entire system supporting them and members and see how they fit into that bigger picture.”

That broader context helps front-line employees see long-term opportunity at the credit union rather than a single role.

Results That Changed The Conversation

By the end of 2025, overall retention reached 82% at Community First. Just as important, leaders now view retention as a collective responsibility reinforced through data, relationships, and early engagement.

For Smith, the lesson is clear.

“We should have acted sooner to stop the bleeding earlier rather than waiting until things reached a crisis,” she says. “The evidence was clear. Examining the numbers made it obvious.”

Now, training prioritizes preparation over pressure and sets up employees to succeed.

The post How A Florida Credit Union Rebuilt Retention After The Great Resignation appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

We have at times sacrificed the bottom line to provide the type of banking our community needs.

Ask Cheryl Sio for her resume and she’ll tell you she doesn’t have one. She started working at Sundstrand Credit Union at age 20, became president less than a decade later, and stayed put for the next 50 years.

When Sio retired at the end of 2025, she closed the book on a career that began behind the teller line in 1975 and ended with her leading what is now MembersAlliance Credit Union ($284.2M, Rockford, IL). There’s no list of stops or titles to skim, just a single institution and a half-century arc that mirrors the modern credit union movement itself.

MembersAlliance has been in business for 87 years; Sio was there for more than half that time. The cooperative was founded by employees of Sundstrand, a Rockford manufacturer that still exists today as part of Collins Aerospace, producing aircraft systems and engine components.

As the credit union’s original single-sponsor roots gave way to a broader community charter covering the city of Rockford and three Northern Illinois counties, Sio helped guide the organization through deregulation, technological upheaval, and repeated reinventions of what it means to be a cooperative financial institution in a mid-sized Midwestern city.

Here, Sio reflects on her career and legacy at MembersAlliance and for the movement.

Talk about credit union life before interest rate deregulation and modern liquidity options.

Cheryl Sio: For my first several years, we had one share option and one loan option. The savings rate was 6% and the loan interest rate was 1% per month on the unpaid balance. We calculated loan interest manually each time a member made a payment. There were no standardized operating ratios that I’m aware of. Managing liquidity was a simple matter of stopping loan activity, which only happened once in my 50 years.

I recall the craziness of the early 1980s when the interest rates were sky high. I don’t think we changed our standardized loan rate of 1% per month, and along with a two-year growth spurt, we found ourselves lacking in net worth. I don’t think net capital was much of a regulator thing prior to that.  

How did NCUA’s charter overhaul change the way you led and served members?

CS: MembersAlliance is state chartered and we’ve been ASI-insured since 1981. That said, the overall effect of charter expansion allowed single-sponsor credit unions a sustainability option by broadening the member base and relieving the pressure of being dependent on one employer.

Many credit unions couldn’t and didn’t survive if the main source of membership was sold, merged with a larger entity, or closed the doors. Our charter expansion allowed us to think about the community we served and how we could make a difference.

What innovations in the past five decades have surprised you most?

CS: For the first two decades, everything was mostly manual. MACU kept up with technology, at times more so than banks. For the following three decades, it often felt like we were behind the eight ball. Every time we completed an upgrade, it was already time for the next iteration.

What advice do you have for navigating fintech disruption?

CS: People will always need personal assistance at some point. Technology is grand until it isn’t. If we’re spending all of our time chasing technology, we might be neglecting the need for human connection. Banking is a commodity, so the difference lies in how we serve and treat our members. Are they people we respect and value? Or are they a means of making a profit?

Which cooperative principles have endured at MembersAlliance despite massive change?

CS: I love this question. As the CEO, it was always my desire to honor the spirit of the founders of the credit union. Sundstrand was a local company started by one man that grew to be one of the largest employers in Rockford. It began as an entrepreneurial manufacturing enterprise and evolved into an aerospace company providing research and parts to companies all over the world.

In 1938, a small group of employees formed the credit union to pool their funds to provide small loans to co-workers at a time when borrowing money from a bank was not an option for the average worker.

Our team always tried to honor this by providing a sound, ethical, consumer-focused banking option for our membership. We worked to make enough profit to be sustainable, but our focus was on providing the best possible products and the highest level of individual, respectful, and caring service for our members.

What’s one principle from the past that should guide the next 50 years?

CS: The cooperative nature of a credit union. We are stewards of our depositors’ funds.

What cultural habits — hiring standards, coaching practices, or everyday rituals — most consistently led to better outcomes for members?

CS: As an employer, we viewed our staff as a team, and we helped staff members think of their job as a career. Several staff members have worked at the credit union for many years and have become managers, directors, and vice presidents. Our intent is to give people tools and opportunities to advance their careers.

Looking back, which decision or program best captures the ethos of “people helping people” at MembersAlliance?

CS: Several years ago, our board agreed that excess capital, while a good thing for the regulators, was not truly in the best interest of our members.

When other institutions chose to eliminate receptionists, install call directories, eliminate personal access to loan officers, and more, we chose to keep member-facing personnel for members who prefer genuine human contact.

How do you form community partnerships or credit union collaborations and make those relationships work?

CS: We show up and do whatever we can to promote local not-for-profits and businesses, offering financial education opportunities when and wherever they might be helpful. The impact is not always readily apparent, but we view this as an investment in the future.

Credit union collaborations are a bit difficult these days. Multiple mega credit unions have moved into our area — by way of mergers or purchase — and don’t seem too interested in collaborating or connecting with local credit unions.

Which leadership skill do you wish you’d developed earlier?

CS: It took me 10 years to realize I didn’t have to have my hands in everything. In the 80s and 90s, we went through growth that was at times overwhelming. We were trying to do everything; I’m sure other credit unions were, too.

Fortunately, I had an executive team that had the “whatever it takes” attitude about making things work, putting member service first, and generally stepping into unknown territory. During that time, I learned the importance of teamwork, trust, and encouraging team members to develop their gifts and take the lead.

How would you teach important skills to an emerging leader now?

CS: A few years ago, we enrolled eight directors and managers in an executive team learning program from Callahan & Associates. These were employees I believed to be committed to MACU and what we stand for. I also went through the course so I could understand what they were experiencing and gain the tools to make sure our board was committed to being purpose-driven as well.

I wanted the team to believe they play an important part in MACU’s future and its place in our community. I left the credit union believing MACU will continue as a people-over-profit organization.

How do you define healthy growth for a cooperative? What tradeoffs are you glad you made to protect mission?

CS: For me, healthy growth is organic. If we’re not serving our current members well, we have no business attempting to grow for the sake of growth itself. We have at times sacrificed the bottom line to provide the type of banking our community needs. Such trade-offs might show up in peer comparison rankings in net worth and, at times, growth.

If you could write a letter to future credit union leaders, what would the first line say? And the last line? And the bottom line?

CS: First, as a credit union leader, you are in an excellent position to make a difference.

Second, stay the course, hold true to the cooperative spirit.

Finally, put people and their wellbeing first. The rest will follow suit.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

“Exit Interview” on CreditUnions.com features parting thoughts and wisdom from influential leaders in the credit union movement upon their retirement. Read the series today.

The post Exit Interview: Cheryl Sio, MembersAlliance Credit Union appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

Growing up, Jim Morrell always wanted to be in banking. His grandfather was a community banker and, “probably would’ve been a really good credit union person,” says Morrell, who today is president and CEO of Peninsula Community Federal Credit Union ($303.3M, Shelton, WA).

By the time he hit graduate school, Morrell planned to go into oil distribution, but an accounting professor steered him toward financial analysis work, which led to a credit union career. He’s worked with cooperatives across the Pacific Northwest since 1993, spending the past 13 years at Peninsula.

In this Q&A, Morrell looks back on his career, the lessons he’s learned, and how he works to ensure his personal values shine through with the organizations he leads.

On how the industry has changed in the past 30 years …

Jim Morrell: I was around when we issued software and modems to members to encourage them to consider online banking. Downloading an app is the new version of that. People are used to technology and used to a ubiquitous financial environment, yet even today there are people who are uncomfortable to varying degrees with the use of technology.

One might look at financial cooperatives and say banking is dead. I don’t think so; I think there’s always going to be a need. It’s far too expensive for people not to have a relationship with a financial institution that looks after their wellbeing and doesn’t charge them exorbitant fees.

On the hardest feedback he’s ever received and how it shaped him …

JM: It was people thinking I didn’t care or maybe some combination of I wasn’t listening and other people didn’t want to hear what I was sharing. It gets interpreted in this mental and emotional collision. I really hope I care a lot more than I don’t.

As a leader, you have to learn to take not only criticism but also critical feedback. If I make an error, I recognize and acknowledge it. If it’s an interaction with another person, I’m candid and open and honest with that individual.

One of the things I did for almost as long as I’ve been in the credit union industry was officiate basketball, including 14 years as a D1 women’s official. People yelled at me from time to time — usually about half of whoever was in the arena. I remember on more than one occasion a coach yelling at me and thinking, “You know, we probably agree much more than we disagree, but right now your message is being lost in the delivery.”

If I’m not communicating well, let me know so I can try again.

On lessons from the basketball court …

There was a number thrown out when I was officiating basketball that you have to see the same move that led to a traveling violation 1,000 times before your response becomes reactionary. Giving yourself more repetitions of experiences, of challenges, of opportunities to try to explain things to different audiences is huge. Being engaging and courageous enough to put your voice out there is really important — so is having the friend that will say, “Yeah, your voice is out there too much.”

On receiving the Maurice R. Smith Leadership Award from the African-American Credit Union Coalition …

JM: It took me a while to wrap my head around why somebody should be recognized for doing what I think we should do every day, which is treat one another with care and kindness and love and consideration. One of the things I don’t think has changed over the years is people’s internal desire to be liked, to be heard, and in many senses to be cared for. Somewhere along the way that was summarized in a word like “inclusion.”

Our mission statement has not changed since I got here 13.5 years ago: We listen, we serve, we educate, and we care always. Our team does an amazing job of that every day with our members, and we’ve worked hard to develop an internal culture where we treat one another in the same way: by listening, serving, educating, and caring.

On why DEI still matters for credit unions …

JM: One of the things we’ve done over the past three years is quarterly DEI education for all of our staff. That hasn’t slowed down. It helps support the culture we’re striving to have inside our organization. If we’re accomplishing that, then we do a much better job when we’re outward facing and serving members who have a different socioeconomic or cultural background.

That award flows full circle, and I take it as a reflection of what we’ve done together here as a team at Peninsula as much as about me.

On leadership styles and what makes him stand out …

JM: My hope is that people feel like they have a lot of latitude. I might get frustrated sometimes because I process things fairly quickly and have a lot of questions, but I wouldn’t have the opportunities I do and the organization wouldn’t be where it is if I was micromanaging every decision every hour of every day.

Do I sometimes push or pull? Yes.

Do I sometimes react too quickly? Probably, yes.

But I hope they realize I know they’re experts and wise about what we do, and I entrust them with doing what we’re asked to do and how we’re asked to serve here.

On the most surprising lesson learned from leadership …

JM: I need to listen more and slow down my reactions. I have a pretty quick ability to process information and think about things from different angles and perspectives. Sometimes that can come off like me not listening or not hearing. There’s a whole lot of information that needs to be heard, whether it’s from the credit union, the movement, or national or international leadership — there are a lot of very valid opinions.

On leadership decisions that changed the trajectory of an organization …

JM: After being here a year and a half and understanding who we are and meeting people in the five distinct communities we’re part of, which are all economically distressed, I made a decision to focus on community development, and our board supported that.

As a CDFI, we started partnering with United Way and adopted ALICE data. All team members have a certification in financial literacy so when we go to domestic violence shelters or meet with people through the YMCA or Kitsap Immigration Assistance Centers or places like that, we sit down with them outside of a desk in our branch lobby and they begin to develop trust in us.

I always come back to empathy, including people, listening to people. That’s critically important.

It’s far too expensive for people not to have a relationship with a financial institution that looks after their wellbeing and doesn’t charge them exorbitant fees.

On ensuring leadership reflects organizational values …

JM: We’ve done empathy mapping and about 10 years ago we created a persona called Alice Pearl. That persona is a litmus test when we get stuck on a decision: What would be most beneficial for Alice Pearl, a single mom with a couple of kids in her mid-30s who’s working two jobs and doesn’t have time to do her banking until 10:30 at night when the kids are in bed and she’s exhausted? How are we helping her?

We’ve done the same thing with empathy mapping through focus groups and the data we’ve obtained through our work with Coopera on Hispanics.

On the leadership advice he’d give to his younger self …

JM: Don’t expect to find a precedent for every decision you’re going to need to make. I still sometimes reach on the shelf for the proverbial CEO manual I think should be there, but it’s not. You have to rely on the fact that, based on your experience, you know you’re doing the right thing. Frankly, it takes having a bit of an ego to know you’re moving in the right direction but not so much ego to ignore when you’re leading people the wrong way.

On the books, podcasts, or experiences that have influenced his approach to leadership …

JM: I shared this with a high school student recently during a financial reality fair. He’s a senior who’s really involved and his leadership skills are very much like mine — he wants to do everything. I encouraged him to err like I have and do more than he thinks he can do because he will grow from it. It’s experiences that I’ve learned from more than listening to podcasts or reading books.

On unconventional leadership habits …

JM: I like getting out on a boat away from all the noise, where it’s just me, the boat, and the water, floating around and staring at the awesome scenery we have so much of here in the Puget Sound.

This interview has been edited and condensed. 

“On Leadership” spotlights notable leaders across the credit union landscape by discovering how they joined the movement, learning what makes them tick, uncovering career lessons and successes, and more. Read the series today.

The post Jim Morrell On Leadership appeared first on CreditUnions.com.

HR executives tasked with guiding both culture and execution now find themselves helping employees understand how to use these tools confidently and responsibly while assuaging fears that these same tools will render them irrelevant in the workplace.

But a sweet spot is emerging, one that relies on messaging as much as machines. When employees participate in pilots, observe the real pain points addressed, and hear clearly that people — not technology — remain the focus, apprehension tends to give way to comfort and even experimentation.

HR leaders are navigating this revolution in real time. They explain where AI is already embedded in their organizations and how they’re preparing their teams to survive and thrive as these tools grow more capable and more common.

Foster Curiosity To Alleviate Fear

Laurie Butz joined Capital Credit Union ($2.7B, Green Bay, WI) as president and CEO in November 2021. She has been a SHRM Certified Senior Professional in HR since 1995.

Butz says her credit union uses generative AI as an efficiency play, automating routine tasks, improving search accuracy, and supporting faster decision-making. Its tools learn from employee behavior to deliver better procedures, create stronger first drafts for training materials, and automate workflow without impacting IT resources.

Capital also uses AI to analyze feedback from exit surveys to highlight trends and help leaders act on real concerns. In marketing, tools like Jasper support brand consistency, speed up content creation, and provide ready-to-use templates for campaigns and website updates.

How is your organization addressing employee fears and resistance around AI adoption?

Laurie Butz: Employees develop proficiency through hands-on tool usages. Our team members have trained on AI technologies, specifically Microsoft Copilot, under the guidance of a Microsoft-certified AI engineer.

At Capital, we foster a culture of curiosity and continuous improvement, therefore we haven’t encountered a lot of fear and resistance around AI in the workforce. For us, automation and support aren’t a threat to job security, so it hasn’t been perceived as something to be feared.

How important are education and open discussion in addressing barriers? How do you incorporate those strategies?

LB: We had Microsoft come on site and lead AI training for all our leaders. Now, we actively encourage leveraging AI to advance our objectives. We expect our senior leadership team to continuously seek opportunities to integrate AI into our processes and team strategies.

What strategies or tools are effective for upskilling employees and bridging the AI skills gap?

LB: Capital ran workshops to teach team members how to use Copilot for business tasks. The sessions familiarized participants with the tool, including creating AI-generated images. The aim was to show how AI can support their daily work and idea generation.

How are you leveraging AI in HR functions — like recruiting, performance management, or succession planning — while maintaining fairness and compliance?

LB:  We’ve enabled BryteAI, an AI module for our HR system designed to help leaders draft job descriptions. We process HR transactions via a conversational bot, and we write performance reviews with AI support.

There Is No AI Skills Gap

Ken Gardner has been with Greater Texas Federal Credit Union ($957.3M, Austin, TX) for 13 years, the past four in his current role as assistant vice president for HR.

Gardner has been helping the HR team adopt AI for daily operations such as drafting communications, improving processes, and strengthening the employee experience across the enterprise and its subsidiary, Aggieland Credit Union, in College Station.

His team is testing 11 custom GPT Assistants from OpenAI for launch in 2026. The assistants will guide employees and managers through policies, benefits, reviews, and core HR processes.

How is your organization addressing employee fears and resistance around AI adoption?

Ken Gardner: We envision AI as augmenting human work much like computers did in the 1980s and 1990s. Just as that technological shift transformed how people worked, AI will do the same. It’s clear that AI will replace some jobs, particularly within large organizations.

For credit unions of our size, we see AI as an opportunity, not a threat. It will help us manage headcount growth as we scale, allowing our teams to focus on higher-value work that requires creativity, empathy, and judgment. That’s why we’re placing greater emphasis on hiring employees who are adaptable and bring strong human skills to the table, skills that technology cannot replicate.

How important are education and open discussion in addressing barriers? How do you incorporate those strategies?

KG: For adoption, it comes down to showing people how AI can make their work better. Demos help, but what truly builds buy-in is giving people tools that solve real, repetitive, and often frustrating problems. Once they experience those benefits firsthand, the hesitation about AI tends to fade and curiosity takes over.

What strategies or tools are effective for upskilling employees and bridging the AI skills gap?

KG: For most employees, there really isn’t an AI skills gap. What they need is exposure to practical use cases. Whether it’s ChatGPT or Copilot, these platforms use plain language prompts that anyone can learn. That accessibility alone eliminates most of the perceived gap. The real challenge isn’t a lack of skill, it’s fear or resistance to change.

When it comes to developing AI internally, design thinking matters far more than coding skills. The real differentiator is thoughtful design: defining a clear use case, creating effective starter prompts, and making smart decisions on the back end to prevent errors and guide users.

For example, in the handbook assistant we recently built, we added clickable starter prompts to help employees begin a conversation. They include, “I’m new to the company, what should I know?” “What should I know about our benefits?” “What are our PTO policies?” and “I want to know more about FMLA.” This kind of design lowers the learning curve and helps employees feel more confident using AI.

As AI takes over more manual and repetitive work, it will naturally create more opportunities for employees to grow their soft skills such as adaptability, problem-solving, and communication. Those are the skills that will matter most in the future, and we are being intentional about hiring and developing people with these skills.

How are you leveraging AI in HR functions — like recruiting, performance management, or succession planning — while maintaining fairness and compliance?

KG: We’ve decided to limit AI in recruiting. Hiring is one of the most human parts of HR, and we want to preserve that personal connection. We are leveraging AI assistants to help create job descriptions, recruiting ads, and interview questions. These tools save time and ensure our materials are clear, consistent, and aligned with our standards.

In performance management, we’re developing an AI assistant that helps employees and managers complete performance reviews. It guides the employee through a series of methodical questions to build their self-review, then uses that input to prompt the manager with targeted questions that weave in relevant themes and feedback.

I’m particularly excited about this because it will significantly reduce the time spent writing reviews and shift the focus toward the actual performance conversation, one that is developmental and engaging rather than just checking the box.

Ultimately, fairness and compliance come from thoughtful design and human oversight. We use AI to streamline processes, not to make final decisions. Our goal is to enhance objectivity and efficiency while keeping people and our core values at the center of every HR process.

Employee Input For Better Output

Ami Iceman-Haueter has been with Michigan State University Federal Credit Union ($8.2B, East Lansing, MI) for seven years and for the past two and half has been chief research and digital experience officer.

Iceman-Haueter says MSUFCU is already using AI in several ways, most notably via virtual assistants Fran and Gene, who respectively support members and employees, enhancing the service experience for both groups.

How is your organization addressing employee fears and resistance around AI adoption?

Ami Iceman-Haueter: MSUFCU has been working with AI partners for several years, and we’ve included our employees in the process every step of the way. Our teams have been involved in everything from designing how our AI systems work to testing them before they’re launched to our members or broader employee base.

We place a strong focus on communication before introducing any new AI-related products or services, helping employees understand how these tools enhance efficiency while emphasizing the importance of keeping humans at the center of our approach.

Involving employees throughout this journey has allowed us to scale several projects, including virtual agents. Sharing the results and impact of these initiatives has been one of our greatest successes.

How important are education and open discussion in addressing barriers? How do you incorporate those strategies?

AIH: Education has been an effective tool, but it alone cannot create change within the organization. That change comes from our leadership team, our employees, and our shared commitment to understanding that AI is part of our toolbox, not a replacement for human talent.

We’ve spent significant time helping employees and managers see AI as a partner in their work while reinforcing that it’s not perfect and we remain responsible for the information it produces. Transparency has been key. Being open about our intent, strategy, and goals for AI has helped our employees feel more comfortable. They understand why we’re embracing AI, how we plan to use it, and exactly where they fit into that strategy.

What strategies or tools are effective for upskilling employees and bridging the AI skills gap?

AIH: We have made AI education a standard part of our training package. We’re also rolling out department-specific use cases and piloting ways to understand what information is most valuable for our managers, leaders, employees, and even interns.

This helps us bridge gaps thoughtfully and tailor AI tools to each access point. Different departments will use AI in different ways, some for automated decision-making and others in service capacities.

The most important part is identifying use cases that support our team’s everyday work. At the same time, we continue to invest in all other areas of training to keep skills and competencies strong across the organization. Our goal is to maintain a healthy balance between problem-solving with AI and problem-solving independently while helping every employee build the skills they need to grow in their careers.

How are you leveraging AI in HR functions — like recruiting, performance management, or succession planning — while maintaining fairness and compliance?

AIH: We’re not currently using AI in recruiting beyond helping to draft job postings. AI supported the development of our performance management program, and some managers might use it as a tool to help complete parts of the process. AI also played a role in creating our succession planning program, and we use it in several of our payroll processes as well.

Fight Fear With Fun

Rachel Schaming is a longtime executive coach and organizational consultant who has served We Florida Financial Credit Union ($719.5M, Pembroke Pines, FL) as its chief human resources officer for the past five years.

Schaming says the Florida shop uses gen AI to streamline loan applications, call center work, and deposit processes. For example, AI cuts loan decisioning time by 50%, speeding up member service and reducing manual review.

In HR, AI tools help create and update job descriptions, craft postings, screen resumes, draft policies, and write newsletter content, saving an estimated 30% of the time spent on these essential HR tasks. The credit union’s Innovation Team has also built two AI apps that give the workforce quick access to procedures, policies, and updates so they can find the information they need without delay.

How is your organization addressing employee fears and resistance around AI adoption?

RS: We use Kahoot quizzes and word searches to make AI technology fun. Our intention is to help employees see that learning new skills can be fun and create new ways to serve our members more efficiently.

What strategies or tools are effective for upskilling employees and bridging the AI skills gap?

RS: Employees are aware that our board requires us to provide a document indicating progress in upskilling with a particular focus on technology and AI competencies. We have an Individual Development Plan (IDP) process that is tied to our performance management software.

How are you leveraging AI in HR functions — like recruiting, performance management, or succession planning — while maintaining fairness and compliance?

RS: Over the past couple of years, we have held team and individual meetings to show employees how AI can enhance their job competencies with increased efficiency. We require all employees to include an AI course in their IDP. Because we require all employees at every level to include technology and AI coursework in their IDPs, we’ve had minimal resistance to learning the new technologies. 

Interviews have been edited and condensed.

Let’s Join Forces To Navigate AI In HR. Faster changes in technology make peer insight more valuable than ever. Callahan creates spaces for credit union HR leaders to connect, compare approaches, and improve performance through programs like roundtables, live webinars, ready-to-use documents, and more. Learn more about Callahan’s programs today.

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