NextGen Leaders: Colleen Tilton

Colleen Tilton

Director of Staff Development

$440 million Blackhawk Community Credit Union

Janesville, Wis.

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Watch Colleen’s CUES Next Top Credit Union Exec video

Give us the elevator speech about your project (as in how would you describe your project to someone you meet in an elevator?):

I have a unique opportunity to transform the culture of our credit union into a learning organization through a program I’ve named Learn to Earn.  We have so many employees that are looking for the next step or opportunity in their career but they aren’t sure how to get there.  Some of our staff members have been here for more than 30 years and others have just joined us.  The thing that many have in common is that they want more.  Through Learn to Earn, employees will be given the chance to take classes and be rewarded through both pay and moving up to different levels within their position.  My hope for this program is that it encourages employees to not only grow within their role, but find purpose and intrinsic rewards in what they do.  I am so excited to have the support of our senior management team as I build this program and make the education and development of our staff a true priority.

What is your long-term career goal?

If you would have told me 10 years ago that I would want to be a CEO, I would have called you crazy.  I started my career at BHCCU as a teller, newly married and looking to start a family. I thought all I wanted was a job to provide for our family, but as I took on more responsibility and management roles, I realized that I wanted a career that would allow me to lead and encourage people the same way others did with me.  Through the belief others had in me, as well as the abilities I’ve discovered I have along the way, I now know that I do have the talent and ability to lead a credit union. My goal is to become the CEO of our credit union within the next ten to fifteen years. 

Fill in the dots: The future of credit unions will be bright if ...

The future of credit unions will be bright if we are able to utilize our reputation for steering members in their best interest and community involvement to reach the millennial generation.  At this point, 71 percent of millennials are unaware of what a credit union even is, according to research from CUES Supplier member PSCU.  In order for us to continue as a movement, we need to connect with this generation.     

What my generation brings to the credit union movement is …

Millennials bring a sense of energy and enthusiasm to the credit union movement and we want the rest of our generation to understand how awesome credit unions are.  As a millennial, I love how credit unions are committed to their local communities through charitable giving and financial education.  We understand how much this would resonate with other millennials and use our voices to promote the movement. 

People consider me a leader because …

I show our staff how much I believe in them and genuinely want them to succeed. My favorite part of my job is watching a new employee that I have developed become successful in their career and move onto new positions. As a leader, my goal is to inspire others to have the same passion that I have for my career in the credit union movement.     

Who is your hero and why?

From a professional and personal standpoint, I admire and relate to Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook.  Not only is she a strong female leader that encourages female empowerment, but we have both struggled with the sudden loss of our spouses, both named Dave.  At the time of my husband’s passing, I found Sheryl’s Facebook post that she wrote one month after her husband died.  This passage became a roadmap for what my life would look like as a professional, single mother dealing with an unthinkable loss.  As I struggled with the decision of when to return to work, her experience helped me understand how the relationships with my coworkers may change and the need to be vulnerable and ask them for help.  Sheryl also talked about how going back to work made her feel connected again.  I decided to return to work the week after my husband died and it helped me and my children to get back into a routine and realize what our new normal was going to look like. Thanks to her post, she made me feel like it was okay to want to go back to work.  As I continue on this path that I never thought I would have to walk, it helps to have another voice that understands the daily struggle of losing your partner.   

Who is a must-follow on Twitter?

I follow LeanIn.org because they offer motivating articles and information relating to women in leadership.  They are a nonprofit founded by Sheryl Sandberg and their tweets can provide with my daily dose of female empowerment!

Does your credit union have Twitter/Facebook/YouTube/Pinterest/LinkedIn/Instagram other social media accounts? Please provide links:

Facebook: Blackhawk Community Credit Union

What is your favorite CUES member benefit? Or, if you are a new CUES NextGen member, what benefit are you most looking forward to using?

I am most looking forward to networking with my peers as I work on completing my project. I understand that ideas can build from other ideas and I want to use my membership to provide my own insights to help others and cultivate meaningful relationships that result in progress for all credit unions. We are all part of the credit union family and I think it is important to learn from each other.