5 minutes
Shannon Cahoon
Community Outreach Coordinator
$967 million Fibre Federal Credit Union
Longview, Wash.
Follow Shannon on Twitter
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Watch Shannon’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?):
It’s unlikely that our members love us because of our smoking auto loan rates (although they are pretty great). Our members love us because we are different--because we offer a unique value and impact they can’t find elsewhere. My project is focused on calculating the return on investment credit unions receive through financial education efforts, but can be easily tweaked to demonstrate the ROI of other efforts, like second chance accounts, community outreach activities, new member onboarding, business development and more. Many of these things are what reflects the heart and soul of our movement-- what makes us more than “just a bank.” But these things are also what make us profitable--it isn’t our tax status; it’s the way we do business.
What is your long-term career goal?
I see myself working in credit union land forever. Honestly, I would love to stay with Fibre FCU for my whole career, if the stars remain aligned. Regardless, I know that my own credit union is just a part of a larger movement, and I want to continue to contribute to the movement as a whole in significant ways. I want to preserve, protect and promote this financial philosophy. I want to help credit unions be what I know that they (we) can be. I want to build things that make an impact for the people who need them. I guess when you get right down to it, my specific job title isn’t as important to me as doing work that I am passionate about.
Fill in the dots: The future of credit unions will be bright if ...
We always remember who we are. In the face of today’s regulatory, economic and competitive pressures, we must be nimble, we must be proactive and we must continue to compete with the Jones’ Bank down the street. But we also must remember what started this whole concept; that we are here for service to our members, and sometimes that means being a little different. That means providing the best possible value for our members while also impacting our communities in appreciable ways, and it means doing the right stuff, even if it doesn’t always feel like the shortest route to the biggest returns.
What my generation brings to the credit union movement is …
To borrow the ideology from my Crash the GAC ’16 experience, we bring respectful disruption. We question the status quo. We are dissatisfied with a “this is the way we have always done things” mentality. We are both skeptical and fiercely loyal. We come pre-programmed with a set of values that closely aligns to credit union values. My generation will be the future of credit unions, as employees, leaders and members, for better or for worse. Collectively, we must ask ourselves if what we are doing today is working towards a future that is keeping this generation engaged.
People consider me a leader because …
I flat hustle. You can’t stand still and get where you want to go. I have taken every opportunity I can to expand my network, take on new challenges, continually learn and to build a personal brand that I am proud of. Along the way this collection of experience has given me opportunities to lead, and I know these opportunities will only become more amazing in the future.
Who is your hero and why?
I’m inspired by a lot of people, so that’s tough to nail down. My grandma was pretty amazing--she raced in the Iditarod, competed to be the teacher on the Challenger space shuttle, could make a dollar stretch a country mile and made the best snacks I remember from childhood. She kept her head down and her chin up, she was always reaching for new experiences and people absolutely adored her. More credit union specific, I have been studying Louise Herring quite a bit. I have been incredibly inspired by all that she accomplished, especially as a woman in a time when it wasn’t the standard. Her dedication to the credit union philosophy is what I want to emulate in my own career.
Who is a must-follow on Twitter?
I’m still getting the hang of the “twittersphere” but I enjoy @Nussle, @MattMonge, @TheEllenShow (just keeping it real here), and suggest following your local, state and federal legislators as a great way to stay engaged with them.
Does your credit union have Twitter/Facebook/YouTube/Pinterest/LinkedIn/Instagram other social media accounts? Please provide links:
Twitter: @FibreCU
LinkedIn: FibreCU
Facebook: FibreCU
YouTube: FibreFCU
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?
As a new NextGen member, I am most looking forward to the learning opportunities https://www.cues.org/professional-development/training-education that I now have access to. I am one of those rare creatures who actually enjoy quality webinars, white papers, and idea sharing.
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Online voters and a panel of past finalists narrowed the CUES Next Top Credit Union Exec field from 20 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. 23-26 in Savannah, Ga., 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. |
