The latest from John Pembroke

Jul 1, 2021 - by John Pembroke, CUES

The new innovation imperative

In the last 18 months, credit unions have embodied the adage, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” After the pandemic was declared and George Floyd was murdered in early 2020, ...

Jun 11, 2021 - by John Pembroke, CUES

Take the reins of your own learning

During this pandemic, a lot of things have been out of our control. But one thing that has stayed squarely within our sphere of influence is our own development. If ...

May 5, 2021 - by John Pembroke, CUES

Three solid next steps on your DEI journey

Responding to racism will be a journey. Nothing in recent history more effectively shows this idea than the events of April 20, 2021. On that day, a jury in Minneapolis ...

Apr 1, 2021 - by John Pembroke, CUES

The status quo is resilient

We are all creatures of habit. Some habits are good. For example, some simplify our lives by allowing us to do everyday things without a lot of mental effort, like ...

Mar 10, 2021 - by John Pembroke, CUES

5 ways your culture can help (or hinder) talent development

In these times, developing your staff members to be the best they can be is more important than ever. But how well does your work environment support the kind of ...

Feb 4, 2021 - by John Pembroke, CUES

Talent development has gone beyond pivotal to pivoting

Talent development has been pivotal for a long time. That is, it has been of crucial importance to the growth and ultimate success of individuals, teams, departments and organizations. While ...

Dec 24, 2020 - by John Pembroke, CUES

4 ways to maintain your appetite for learning in 2021

Credit unions learned a lot in 2020 as the COVID-19 crisis provided a crash course in how to serve members during a pandemic. While much of that learning was done ...

Dec 7, 2020 - by John Pembroke, CUES

Six ways to turn DEI ideals into action

After George Floyd was killed in May while handcuffed and pinned to the ground by a police officer’s knee, CUES and many other organizations committed to fighting racial injustice. ...

John Pembroke

CUES

Web: www.cues.org

As president/CEO of CUES, John Pembroke came full circle in his career. His first exposure to business was a high school internship working in his father’s church credit union. He developed a deep connection to the impact credit unions make on their members’ lives. That experience and being raised by parents with advanced degrees taught him to value education, faith, relationships, and personal growth.

These values, combined with a progressive mindset, a desire to innovate, and an entrepreneurial spirit, were central to John’s success, allowing him to build a unique brand. Known for driving organizational growth and profitability, he leveraged his diverse business skills, relationship-building expertise, and leadership ability at PSCU, Cox Enterprises, Kellogg, Kraft Foods, and Procter & Gamble.

Under John’s leadership, CUES membership tripled, member loyalty increased, new and innovative talent development offerings were developed and launched, and the financial condition of the organization was improved. Also, CUES came to be viewed as an industry thought leader in talent development and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). In addition, he worked with his board to evolve its governance efforts and make DEI a priority throughout the entire organization.

One of John’s favorite quotes is by Greek philosopher Heraclitus: “Change is the only constant in life.” He lived by this maxim, consistently embracing opportunities to improve himself, his life, and the lives of others. For more than 25 years, he led companies with the same enthusiasm and was a trailblazer in the financial services, technology, consumer products, media, and non-profit industries.

John held a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. in Marketing and Policy Studies from the Booth School of Business of the University of Chicago.

Whether watching sports, traveling, spending time with friends and family or enjoying listening to new music—which was something he did every Friday—John considered having fun vital to a full life. He will be missed.