Q: What led you to the credit union sector, and to Jovia Financial Credit Union?
A: I started out on the savings bank side for three years before I discovered the credit union side. I just loved the nonprofit mission to really help our members. Jovia’s been a great place for me; I’ve been here 27 years, which speaks to my love of the organization and the industry. I started in 1992 as head teller at our main location, back when there were only three branches. There were 50 employees when I started, and we’re nearing 500 now, so I’ve seen incredible growth.
Q: How do you lead an engaged team? What’s your leadership style?
A: I have a very open leadership style. I don’t necessarily have all the answers; I love hearing input from the team, sorting through the best of the ideas, working through issues together as a team, and then being the champion of our ultimate decision, being that motivator and inspiring people to stay focused on what we decided as a team.
Q: Jovia just went through a rebranding last year. Why was that a necessary step, and what did you learn through that process?
A: It was much more than a name and a brand and new colors; it was about a new strategy, a stronger dedication to leading in the industry from the standpoint of innovation. We have a new mission, a new vision, new values. We really looked at the organization from the ground up. And what I learned is that communicating with our members the reasons for the changes was really critical. We made many outreach efforts to our members before, during and after the launch of the rebrand, to make sure we addressed all their concerns. You cannot overcommunicate when it comes to these types of big changes.
Q: What are you proudest of after finishing your first year as president and CEO, and what are you focused on in 2020?
A: It was a challenging year with our rebranding, significant technology upgrades, some management turnover and implementation of new strategies. I am really inspired by how enthusiastic the team is about embracing change. We have a bit of a mantra here: We know we’re going to be on a roller coaster ride, and we’re looking for people who aren’t bracing and holding on but have their hands up. We’re embracing those who are embracing the changes, and we’re supporting those who are a little nervous about the changes.
Moving forward, we’re looking to serve a wider range of members, appeal to a younger membership, and do so not just as a value-oriented credit union but as a credit union someone looks to and says, “Wow, here I can get everything I can get from a big bank.” So that mission of becoming an innovative credit union has driven the brand change, the core conversion change and our strategy change.
Q: How do you effectively bring employees along for all those changes?
A: We’re really trying to build an internal culture that supports innovation, technology and a modern workplace, with open communication and a little more agility and efficiency. That’s not something you just say you’re going to do and it happens. It’s built with a team and a structure and programs that begin to feed that innovative cycle. It’s about motivating employees, but it’s also about looking at our culture from all sides. That includes wellness programs, diversity and inclusion, creating open communication between management and staff, as well as implementing some fun social programs so employees feel they’re among friends.
This article was published in the March-April 2020 edition of The NAFCU Journal magazine.
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