Q: What led you to the credit union sector and to Park Community Credit Union?
A: I joined Park Community Credit Union (PCCU) in 1995 after working as an underwriter at a finance company and then as retail branch manager at a community bank. My move to the credit union world allowed me the opportunity to help people with their financial needs, as well as return to underwriting full time. I felt this would give me the opportunity to be a problem-solver for the members and offer them the best solutions for their needs.
Q: Describe your leadership philosophy.
A: I promote an open, collaborative approach to management through discussion and the sharing of opinions and ideas from all employees. I believe in allowing people to think for themselves and do the job they were hired to do. Visionary thinking means we are always looking for the next innovation that we may be able to implement and, therefore, help our members and community.
Q: Explain how PCCU got its name and what it means to be a member today
A: PCCU was originally formed in 1965 as the credit union for General Electric’s Appliance Park in Louisville, Ky. Over the years, we have grown to be a community-based credit union with a field of membership covering 27 counties in Kentucky and southern Indiana — including the metropolitan areas of Louisville and Lexington. Today we are mission-based, with a goal … to help improve the financial lives of our members, help our communities grow and prosper, and allow our staff to reach their fullest potential both professionally and personally.
Q: What are some of the new technologies and trends that you are incorporating into Park Community?
A: We are committed to providing access to our products and services when and where our members want them. Below are just a few of our implementations:
- We developed a microlending commercial loan product aimed at small businesses, entrepreneurs and startups. This $10,000, 36-month loan has a current rate of 3.99 percent and is used as a financial literacy tool. If members make all their payments on time, we rebate 100 percent of the interest back.
- In 2015, we were a leader in the deployment of interactive teller machines (ITMs) in Kentucky. We continue to add ITMs and plan to replace the traditional drive-thru systems in multiple branches in 2019.
- We have launched QCash, a short-term lending alternative to payday loans. We wanted to provide an alternative for members who use predatory lenders. QCash is available through our mobile app.
- We use an automatic Visa approval program called DecisionEdge through which our tellers can offer preapproved Visas to members as they perform their teller transactions.
- “Elle” is a product of Shastic (the California-based fintech company) that we implemented to provide better communication with our members through text messaging follow-up.
Q: PCCU invests in its community and employees through innovative programs and education. Describe some of these initiatives.
A: I could talk for hours about this subject. It is at the core of our organization and the topic of which we are most proud. Our initiatives include hosting a girls’ summit for middle-school girls that focused on self-esteem, fitness, mental wellness and mentoring; sponsoring a “trunk-or-treat” Halloween event for special-needs children, particularly autism; fundraising with the University of Louisville women’s basketball team for a local cancer support center; donating vehicles to nonprofits with transportation needs; helping with a revitalization effort in west Louisville and much more.
From the March-April 2019 edition of The NAFCU Journal magazine.