The latest from John Pembroke

Mar 11, 2020 - by John Pembroke, CUES

Talent development for execs new to CUs

The credit union landscape is rapidly changing. The competition for top talent is fierce. Combine these two thoughts and it’s not surprising that some credit unions are widening their ...

Feb 19, 2020 - by John Pembroke, CUES

Take extra steps to retain top talent

In our industry, we talk a lot about “table stakes”— things that credit unions have to do just to be in the game. For example, many credit unions offer a ...

Jan 29, 2020 - by John Pembroke, CUES

Educating emerging leaders is the future of credit unions

At CUES, we believe that investing in the next generation of leaders is incredibly important to the credit union industry. This is why our mission includes educating and developing future ...

Dec 2, 2019 - by John Pembroke, CUES

There’s power in learning-focused leadership

What strengthens your effectiveness as a leader? As we discussed at our recent CEO/Executive Team Network event, building trust can be a key factor. But another, less often discussed ...

Nov 1, 2019 - by John Pembroke, CUES

Training is for today, developing leaders is for tomorrow

You’ve probably heard the story about the employees who were riding bicycles with square tires. While they were working incredibly hard to go bump-bump-bump down the way, someone ran ...

Sep 26, 2019 - by John Pembroke, CUES

I bet you’d benefit from social learning

Now that the school year is in full swing for our kids, it’s is a great time to reflect on our own learning. One way to direct our reflection ...

Sep 5, 2019 - by John Pembroke, CUES

Deepening our dedication to diversity

CUES has long been committed to having experts with highly diverse perspectives be part of our professional development offerings for two big reasons: 1) being exposed to a diversity of ...

Jul 31, 2019 - by John Pembroke, CUES

How to pitch your 2020 professional development plan

It’s a great time right now, as many credit unions develop their budgets for 2020, to plan what you (and your team members) want to learn next year. It’...

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.