4 minutes
Meet the 2014 CUES Next Top Credit Union Exec Top 15
Online voters and a panel of past finalists narrowed the CUES Next Top Credit Union Exec field from 24 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 are blogging about their project on www.nexttopcreditunionexec.com/blog. 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™, Nov. 2-5 in Amelia Island, Fla., where they will give their final presentations. The 2014 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.
For the next several weeks, we’ll be checking in with the Top 15 to see how their project is going and learn a bit more about these next generation leaders.
Andy Dunn
VP/CUSO Operations
$600 million Kemba Credit Union
West Chester, Ohio
Follow Andy on Twitter: @a_dunn20
Watch Andy’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 am building our credit union into a one-stop financial resource center for our members. Many times, members face important financial decisions about a mortgage, insurance policy, financial planning, etc. and do not know where to begin. Overwhelming decisions like these can be much easier with an institution you already trust. By offering a wide variety of products and services under one roof, members know they can begin and end with Kemba CU for all of their financial needs.
What is your long-term career goal?
My long term goal for our CUSO is for it to generate enough income to cover 100 percent of the operational costs of the credit union.
Fill in the dots: The future of credit unions will be bright if ...
We maintain relevancy in the marketplace and stay committed to the credit union movement roots of “people helping people.” How members are treated and how members perceive they are being treated cannot be overlooked.
What my generation brings to the credit union movement is …
I think my generation brings adaptability, specifically when it comes to technology. We have grown up with so many advances in technology, we are able to embrace the “latest and greatest” quickly and adapt to provide the best service possible. How people conduct transactions is changing, but I don’t think it is changing as radically as people think. The key is to be able to change and still provide the excellent member service which has served credit unions well since the early 1900s.
People consider me a leader because …
I am bold, knowledgeable, passionate and dedicated. I believe others also trust my intent, which is always to do what is best for Kemba CU and its members.
Who is your hero and why?
My hero is my younger brother Joel. Joel was born four months pre-mature and has been mentally handicapped and completely blind since birth. He is also one of the coolest people I know. He spent his first seven months in the hospital and his first two-and-a-half years on oxygen. Doctors told us he would never talk. Not only can he carry on a conversation, he has far exceeded any expectations doctors set for him. Despite everything Joel went through as a child, he never has a bad day and can always bring a smile to your face. He has a job at a sheltered workshop for blind people where he does piece work and is consistently one of the top performers. Joel could be a very bitter and frustrated person, but he has overcome many obstacles, defied doctors’ expectations and is a very influential person to everyone he meets. And that, to me, is heroic.
Who is a must-follow on Twitter?
I would have to go with Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) so I can get the latest fantasy football updates. If we are talking business, obviously it’s @Kembacu.
Does your credit union have Twitter/Facebook/YouTube/Pinterest/LinkedIn/Instagram other social media accounts?
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?
After several years of face-to-face networking and cold calling other credit unions to collaborate, I am most looking forward to CUES Net. CUES Net will be a very efficient way to share and collaborate on ideas, policies, and other industry topics with credit unions across the country.
