Give us the elevator speech about your project (as in how would you describe your project to someone you meet in an elevator?):

The Buy Local program–designed to encourage growth and sustainability of our local economy–is described as a “win-win-win.” Locally owned businesses “win” with free advertising, and free money when they participate in the “featured partner period”; members and non-members “win” with free items and exclusive discounts; and the credit union “wins” with community wide recognition and enhancement of their philosophy: “people helping people.”

What is your long-term career goal?

My long-term career goal is to be a respected, knowledgeable and valuable leader who is well versed in multiple business disciplines and capable of serving an organization as an executive or consultant. My passion for learning about various business topics will build the foundation needed to fulfill my professional goals of helping businesses reach their full potential so they may go forth and make a positive difference in the world.

Fill in the dots: The future of credit unions will be bright if …

The future of credit unions will be bright if we as a movement develop and embrace innovative programs that combine technology and the human touch.

In the loosely quoted words of Dale Carnegie, everyone wants to feel important. In the financial world we have all sorts of technologically advanced and convenient financial service options at our disposal. Many times the financial institutions with the flashiest, most hip technological advances leave their customers saying, “But I don’t want to be just a number!!” So, how does the CU movement differentiate itself to ensure each member feels important, while staying relevant with the ever changing technological times? Innovation. Have you seen the rise in socially responsible business models? Have you seen the rise in financial services becoming more and more app friendly? Of course you have. CUs will have a bright future if we implement programs that meet the basic human need of wanting to feel important, and also serve the ever growing cultural need of fast, efficient, convenient and trustworthy technological advances in the financial world. The future will stay bright if we make decisions on the fact that those two concepts are never mutually exclusive.