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Tansley Stearns, president & CEO, orsa credit union ($1.5B, Plymouth, MI). Tansley embodies an unwavering spirit, where “impossible” is a foreign concept. She is a dynamic leader with over 26 years of transformative impact in the credit union industry. As CEO of orsa, she champions a culture where curiosity thrives, innovation is in the DNA, and strategy is an evolving art. Tansley drives sustainable financial performance by ensuring execution while fostering in-house solutions, encouraging experimentation, and investing in technologies that bridge physical and digital worlds.
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In 2024, she was honored with induction into America’s Credit Union Museum’s Herstory Exhibit, recognizing her enduring contributions. Under her leadership, In the Cellar has raised over $2 million in two years to support mental health programs through Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Tansley’s legacy — spanning roles with Filene Research Institute to FourLeaf FC (formerly, Bethpage) — is defined by her devotion to people, progress, and purpose, leaving every community she touches better than she found it.
Prior to her tenure at Canvas, Tansley was the chief impact officer at the industry’s premier think-and-do-tank, the Filene Research Institute. Tansley played a pivotal role in building bridges between credit unions, academia, and Silicon Valley. Her work has ensured that even more institutions engage with Filene’s credit union-focused, action-ready research. She also served as a leader at credit unions around the country, from her role at BestSource Credit Union, Connex Credit Union, and Bethpage Federal Credit Union for a combined 13 years, where she honed her ability to lead marketing, lending, sales, and business development initiatives along all frontline, member-facing channels. Tansley has been a pivotal addition to every community she serves, activating the credit union movement with grace and, as always, a smile.
Tansley wakes up at 3:50 a.m. every morning. You read that right—3:50 a.m. She starts her day with a Peloton ride or running and is in the office by 6:40 a.m. Tansley’s commitment to balancing well-being with her profession demonstrates her tenacity. She never gives up, whether she is running mile 22 of a marathon, wrapping up a 20-mile ride on her Peloton before starting the day, or advocating for the credit union movement.
To sum up, Tansley is near impossible, but perhaps her mobile signature says it best: “You are receiving this message from the mobile device that is attached to my hip. I’m likely simultaneously running, helping shape the future of credit unions, dancing with my daughter, and working passionately to build a better future for all Michiganders.”
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