FALL 2019 MAGAZINE 7TH ANNUAL ROCK STARS INDUSTRY INNOVATORS 50 who make a difference Gilberto Vaquero Andigo Credit Union sponsored by Contents Fall 2019 Volume 85 › Number 3 7TH ANNUAL ROCK STARS 6 Editor’s Note 20 Koren Greubel These all-stars are champions for their Making the digital-savvy feel welcome members, staff, and communities. 21 Glenn Griffin 7 Get to know our Rock Stars Everyone wants him on their team 8 Valena Alexander 22 Preston Guy Going the extra mile ‘It’s my job to tell our story’ 9 Monica Belz 23 Jamie Harrison Disaster no match for CEO The deep-diving innovator 10 Geoff Bullock 24 Nicholas Hellmich A unified culture Hometown hero 11 Traci Donahue 25 Jon Hernandez Orchestrating a comeback The multitasking collaborator 12 Page Dunn 26 Renae Hicks Making the spotlight shine A gentle, insightful approach 13 Glen Durbahn 27 Jen Hogan Empowering employees to make it right Committed to authenticity 14 Matt Duthler 28 Bill Kennedy Coming home The credit union whisperer 15 Christine Eckhardt 29 Heather Kerr Perfect harmony A compassionate career 16 Cecil Farrar 30 Josh Kroll Taking charge of the moment A healthy sense of adventure 17 Thomas Flowers 31 Luke Labbe Plugging the community back in Long and winding road ends in leadership 18 Jason Ford 34 Rebecca Lamper Investing in better lives Fresh ideas born of experience › Read the profiles › Listen to podcasts › View photos › Share content socially › Access the digital edition › Nominate your peers and app as 2020 Rock Stars 4 Credit Union Magazine | cuna.org/news 7TH ANNUAL ROCK STARS 35 Ray Lancaster 50 Elizabeth Rose Building a better path for employees An ‘aha!’ moment 36 Jessie Lewis 51 Diane Sandoval-Griego Mobile member advocate Former banker empowers members 37 Dawn Lindley 52 Fawzia Sarwar ‘Pay it forward‘ training Redesigning the member experience 38 Kuran Malhotra 53 Jessica Sharon Wise beyond his years A financial literacy champion 39 Shelli McCoy 54 Fran Sommerfeld Rising to the challenge Offering a helping hand 40 Ruth Montana 55 Maureen St. John An open-door policy Operational excellence transcends metrics 41 Kim Ngo 56 Shelan Stritzke Giving back in the face of adversity Wellness warrior at work 42 Andrea Parrish 57 Steve Timmons ‘Love the questions themselves’ Fighting fraud, building trust 43 Elizabeth Pavlas 58 Andrew Vanjani Alaska state of mind Digital visionary 44 Sarah Perkins 59 Gilberto Vaquero A purpose-driven life Passionate for social media 45 Joseph Pezley 60 Theresa Velez The power of service Credit union crusader 46 Teea Reed 61 Linda White Real stories, real success Creative thinking at the top 48 Kipp Riesland 62 Get to know our Rock Stars Risk culture pays dividends 49 Sandi Riggs Small but mighty POSTAL INFORMATION Credit Union Magazine (ISSN 0011-1066) is published quarterly for $80 per year by Credit Union National Association, 5710 Mineral Point Road, Madison, WI 53705. (Multiple-copy and multiyear discounts available.) Periodical postage paid at Madison, Wis., and additional mailing office. Copyright 2019 by Credit Union National Association. Photocopying is illegal and unethical. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Credit Union Magazine subscription department, P.O. Box 461, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701-0461. Single issues are available; call 800-348-3646. Credit Union Magazine | Fall 2019 5 EDITOR’S NOTE Cheers for our Rock Stars These all-stars are champions for their members, staff, and communities. After sharing Credit Union Rock › Glen Griffinof Commonwealth credit union services to residents Star stories over the years, our Credit Union shares a similar locked in by extensive flooding and definition of what makes these indi- approach when turning down loan washed-out roads. viduals so stellar keeps expanding. requests. “We say ‘not right now,’” › Ray Lancaster of Pyramid Fed- Our Rock Stars are servant lead- he says, and then work with mem- eral Credit Union, after studying ers, team builders, and disruptors. bers on raising their credit scores. the effects of predatory lenders in Day in and day out, they strive to › Valena Alexander of Jackson his area, incrementally raised the change the lives of their members, County Teachers Credit Union took credit union’s minimum wage and staff, and communities. a chainsaw and cleared a way to provided interest-free, $1,500 lines Some of this year’s highlights: the credit union through downed of credit for employees who need › Geoff Bullock of Firefly Credit trees and power poles. She opened short-term loans. Union and his wife had to sell their a drive-thru lane to serve members Our seventh-annual Credit Union home to meet the costs incurred after Hurricane Michael hit in 2018. Rock Star issue, sponsored by while adopting their daughter. He › Thomas Flowers of Calhoun Fiserv, is sure to inspire. We con- wanted to ease the financial burden Liberty Employees Credit Union gratulate all 50 of these remarkable of others facing the same situation. prepared employees with essen- people. Firefly now offers a line of credit for tials such as water, Lysol, and toilet members seeking to adopt. paper before the hurricane hit. He › Christine Eckhardt of Arapahoe also cleared driveways and roads Ann Hayes Peterson Credit Union is one of many Rock after the storm to ensure members Stars who coaches staff to turn had what they needed. Editor-in-chief loan rejections into opportunities. › Monica Belz of Kauai Govern- Credit Union National Association Her philosophy: “Find a way to say ment Employees Federal Credit [email protected] yes.” Union hopped on a jet ski to deliver 608-231-4211 MANAGEMENT ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE BRETT MARTINEZ // chairman, Santa Rosa, Calif. ANN HAYES PETERSON // KARIN SAND // vice president • [email protected] TROY STANG // vice chairman, Seatac, Wash. vice president/editor-in-chief 920-460-7430 [email protected] • 608-231-4211 BRAD GREEN // secretary, Sheffield, Ala. MICHELLE DOSHER // [email protected] • 608-231-4006 TONY BUDET // treasurer, Austin, Texas EDITORIAL STAFF LISA GINTER // member-at-large, Lenexa, Kan. LISA DUSHACK // [email protected] • 608-231-4220 JIM NUSSLE // president/CEO, Washington D.C./Madison, Wis. BILL MERRICK // deputy editor • [email protected] MAURICE SMITH // director and immediate past chairman, 608-231-4076 EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Raleigh, N.C. SCOTT SIMPSON // AACUL chairman, ex officio, Salt Lake BRAD BARNES // Air Academy Federal Credit Union, MICHELLE WILLITS // deputy editor • [email protected] City, Utah 608-231-4067 Colorado Springs, Colo. RON JOOSS // senior editor • [email protected] SANDI CARANGI // Mercer County Community Federal Credit DIRECTORS 608-231-4321 Union, Hermitage, Pa. DALLAS BERGL // Indiana STEPHANIE TEUBNER // PAT DRENNEN // Iowa Wyoming JENNIFER PLAGER // senior editor • [email protected] MICHELLE HUNTER // CU of Southern California, Anaheim JOE THOMAS // Virginia 608-231-4290 SCOTT EARL // Colorado KEVIN KESECKER // SECU, Linthicum, Md. CHARLES ELLIOTT // CAROLINE WILLARD // Texas Mississippi SCOTT WOODS // South DESIGN & PRODUCTION STEVEN LANGLEY // Schools Financial Credit Union, TERESA FREEBORN // Carolina Sacramento, Calif. BEN TENORIO // digital media design specialist California RICHARD S. MILLER // FeatherStone Planning and Consulting GARY FURTADO // Rhode LEADERSHIP CARRIE DOYLE // graphic designer Island JIM NUSSLE // JEAN PETERSON // Aberdeen (S.D.) Federal Credit Union TOM KANE // Illinois president/CEO SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE IDREES RAFIQ // Credit Union Resources, Texas DEBIE KEESEE // JILL TOMALIN // SUBSCRIPTION DEPARTMENT Washington chief operating officer PETER STEIN // Educators Credit Union, Racine, Wis. P.O. Box 461 MARIA LAVELLE // RYAN DONOVAN // Pennsylvania chief advocacy officer Annapolis Junction, MD MAILING ADDRESS 20701-0461 MARIA MARTINEZ // Texas GREG MICHLIG // 800-356-9655 CREDIT UNION MAGAZINE PATRICK PIERCE // chief engagement officer P.O. Box 431 Minnesota TODD SPICZENSKI // Madison, WI 53701-0431 FRED ROBINSON // chief products & Tennessee services officer JOHN SACKETT // Wisconsin SUBSCRIBE TODAY! RON SMITH // Tennessee // Call 800-356-9655 // Visit news.cuna.org/subscribe 6 Credit Union Magazine | cuna.org/news Get to know our Rock Stars I EVEN WAKE I DIDN’T MYSELF AT CHOOSE NIGHT CROSS- LITTLE DID THE CREDIT SELLING I KNOW UNION VISAS IN MY HOW MOVEMENT, SLEEP. THOSE IT CHOSE ME. JESSIE LEWIS SKILLS JAMIE HARRISON WOULD HELP ME. I FIND IT VERY HEATHER KERR SATISFYING TO HAVE A IT’S POSITIVE COMPASSION IMPACT ON TIME IS AND CARING PEOPLE’S OUR MOST THAT SETS LIVES. PRECIOUS CREDIT SARAH PERKINS RESOURCE. UNIONS JOSH KROLL APART. GEOFF BULLOCK I CARE ABOUT FRAUD PEOPLE. I ANYWHERE TRULY DO. I’M ALREADY IRRITATES RUTH MONTANA IN MY DREAM ME. JOB. STEVE TIMMONS RENAE HICKS Credit Union Magazine | Fall 2019 7 Valena Alexander JACKSON COUNTY TEACHERS CU › MARIANNA, FL Going the extra mile CEO Valena Alexander’s open-door management And even though three of the credit union’s eight philosophy means if you drop by her office, you’ll employees had extensive damage to their homes and likely find her with a member or an employee. one lost her home, no one missed a day of work. Alexander says she’s a problem solver by nature. “I make it my mission to always listen to my “I tackle things head on and always look for the best membership, staff, board, and supervisory commit- fix,” she says. tee,” she says. She credits growing up on a farm with instilling a It’s not surprising that in the aftermath of Hurricane strong work ethic. “Working hard and never having Michael in 2018, she literally cleared downed trees to idle hands was our way of life,” she says. “From a ensure Jackson County Teachers Credit Union was young age, job responsibilities and chores were never available to assist members. an option, they were always the norm.” With chain saws buzzing, Alexander and her hus- Alexander believes member service sets Jackson band cleared the way from where they had been County Teachers apart from other area financial staying to get to the $35 million asset credit union in institutions.