5 minutes
Meet the 2017 CUES Next Top Credit Union Exec Top 15
Kandi Thiry, CCUE
Branch Manager
$227 million PCM Credit Union
Marinette, Wis.
Follow Kandi on Twitter: @tkthiry
Connect with her on LinkedIn
Watch Kandi’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?):
My project focuses on helping credit unions complete a full core analysis of their current data processing system. This analysis will also help guide them in a core conversion search if they find that their current core isn’t meeting their needs. The guide that I’m designing will help document the entire core conversion process and give credit unions a list of best practices to follow so that they can be confident that they are making the best choice for their credit union’s needs moving forward.
What is your long-term career goal?
My long term career goal is to continue on my path here at PCM Credit Union, wherever that may take me. I find myself becoming more passionate and excited about my career with every passing day. That is in large part due to the culture here at PCM CU. My goal has always been and always will be to learn as much as I can, then take that knowledge and assist our members in any way that I can to help them financially. I got hooked on the cooperative culture when I started my career at my first credit union nearly 10 years ago. I can’t imagine ever moving away from this wonderful industry we are in. I truly believe that as long as I am happy with what I am doing and as long as I can continue to help people, then I am successful.
Fill in the dots: The future of credit unions will be bright if ...
We all do our part to create and teach cooperative culture. More and more individuals are learning about credit unions because of the great things that we are doing for our members and our communities. I only hope that this will continue and grow in the years to come. Teaching others about the credit union difference is our responsibility and we can’t be afraid to express that to everyone that we come in contact with.
What my generation brings to the credit union movement is …
Ideas…tons of ideas! Millennials are all people seem to be talking about these days, some things good, some things bad. The one thing that I know for certain about millennials is that we are tech savvy. We are the technology generation and with technology comes ideas. We want things done easier, with more options. We want to run our lives from the palm of our hand. We don’t want to have to go to a branch to take care of our finances. This mind set is what is causing financial institutions to re-evaluate the member experience and change the way they have been doing business for years. All of these products and services that make our everyday lives easier and more efficient started with someone’s idea!
People consider me a leader because …
I work hard for what I want to accomplish, I don’t expect anything to be handed to me, and I take every opportunity I can to learn something new. With the credit union industry and technology changing so fast, you can never stop gaining knowledge, not if you expect to keep up with everything. I have a great support system, both personally through my family and professionally at PCMCU, that help encourage and push me to do things that challenge me.
Who is your hero and why?
I don’t have only one specific hero. The definition of hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements or noble qualities. I am lucky enough to have many people in my life who fit that description. My parents, my husband, my sister, my children, my co-workers, and the list goes on. I am blessed to have many people in my life that I consider heroes. I really admire people who live by the golden rule, who do what they say they are going to do, who treat others with respect and work hard for what they want. These are the values that I try to instill in my children and are the same values that I was brought up with and appreciate from others.
Who is a must-follow on Twitter?
To be completely honest with everyone, I have a Twitter account but I rarely have time to check it. With my busy schedule, my children in sports and trying to focus on getting in some family time, keeping up with all the latest social media is impossible. I try to connect with other people as much as I can through networking and if I have time to check social media it is usually Facebook.
Does your credit union have Twitter/Facebook/YouTube/Pinterest/LinkedIn/Instagram other social media accounts?
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pcmcreditunion/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwv3xfS0-pmFHDnrkDX_mJw
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 love connecting with other credit union professionals so I love the networking options that CUES offers. It’s wonderful to be able to ask a question and get numerous responses from other credit unions regarding their policies and procedures. I also love to read the articles about what is new and upcoming in the credit union industry.
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Online voters and a panel of past finalists narrowed the CUES Next Top Credit Union Exec field from 19 to the Top 15 applicants. The challenge, held in conjunction with DDJ Myers and administered by Currency, searches for emerging leaders age 35 and under from within the credit union industry. The Top 15 will blog about their project. And to provide additional value to the competition experience, they’ll each receive an executive coaching session from DDJ Myers, a CUES Supplier member and strategic provider. A judging panel of two CUES members and Deedee Myers of DDJ Myers will then score the Top 15’s applications and blog posts, narrowing the competition to five finalists. The five finalists will receive additional coaching, airfare, accommodation and registration to CUES’ CEO/Executive Team Network™, Oct. 10-12 in Las Vegas, where they will give their final presentations. The 2016 CUES Next Top Credit Union Exec will receive further coaching, airfare, accommodation and registration for two CUES’ CEO Institutes, a total prize package valued at $20,000. |
