3 minutes
Meet the 2017 CUES Next Top Credit Union Exec Top 15
Jonathan LaBarge
Assistant Branch Manager
$1.9 billion ORNL Federal Credit Union
Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn
Watch his 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?):
The C3 Initiative is an outreach project to make it easier for our non-English speaking members and community to learn English and improve their financial knowledge, while increasing our membership and involvement and our relationships with this underserved demographic.
What is your long-term career goal?
My long term career goal is to continue to develop my management skills and move into the executive level of management at ORNL FCU, or if the opportunity were to present itself, take a position with CUNA or Filene where I might continue to positively impact the CU world.
Fill in the dots: The future of credit unions will be bright if ...
We continue to focus on financial freedom and the membership experience through continued advocacy efforts. We as your professionals want to know and feel that we are working in an industry and for a company that allows us to make a difference.
What my generation brings to the credit union movement is …
A renewed passion for people, a real interest for all things financial, a requirement for innovation, and an unrelenting quest for that perfect member experience.
People consider me a leader because …
I have an excellent spirit, I am faithful and I pursue everything worthwhile with a convictional passion that people can’t deny.
Who is your hero and why?
Edward Bragg was my pastor growing up, and continues to be my spiritual mentor and friend. I learned from him the traits and tools necessary to handle and manage people and what it means to be a faithful and authentic leader. He drilled into my head as a kid the mentality, “Can’t never did nothing!” and “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might!” (Ecc. 9:10) His passion for people, pride for his country, love for his wife and family, and his conviction to lead no matter how unpopular or difficult the circumstances and choices, have solidified him in my life as MY HERO!
Who is a must-follow on Twitter?
Twitter is the only social media platform I have yet to get involved in. If I had Twitter though, I know I’d follow Andy Janning. He is an inspiration and encouragement for young credit union professionals such as myself.
Does your credit union have Twitter/Facebook/YouTube/Pinterest/LinkedIn/Instagram other social media accounts? Please provide links:
Twitter: @ornlfcu
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ornlfcu/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ornlfcu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ornl-federal-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 a new CUES NextGen member, so I am looking forward to the resources, learning opportunities and networking platforms that the membership will provide me in advancing my career.
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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 powered 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 2017 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. |
