Corporate Counsel has awarded Angela Jeffers with the Women, Influence & Power in Law Award for the category of Collaborative Leadership. Angela is the senior VP, general counsel for Patelco Credit Union, a Bay Area-based credit union dedicated to the financial wellness of its members and communities.
The Women, Influence & Power in Law Awards honors North American general counsel and law firm partners who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing the empowerment of women in law and have shown extraordinary leadership in their careers. The honorees for these awards are business strategists, complex problem-solvers and great lawyers. As important is that they are also great people-leaders—they care more about the success of the team than their individual success. The collaborative leadership category specifically honors women who stand out as working well with others, and external and internal stakeholders.
“Angela’s hard work and dedication to Patelco makes her more than deserving of this recognition,” said Patelco CEO Erin Mendez. “Preparing to surpass the threshold of $10 billion in assets is a complex undertaking requiring multiple years of commitment and collaboration across the entire organization – Angela became the champion and heartbeat of one of Patelco’s most significant business transformations ever.”
The award reflects Angela’s level of collaborative leadership, which includes but is not limited to industry, vendor, compliance and team collaboration. She brings a broad range of experience to her current role, including setting the strategic direction for the legal function at companies and advising on legal and regulatory developments. From day one, Angela has shared her unwavering compassion and collaboration with Patelco and the credit union industry. Some of her many accomplishments include helping launch an industry group with other credit union general counsels approaching the $10 billion threshold, as well as establishing a relationship with Patelco’s first governance, risk and compliance tool which gives each Patelco department different modules customized to their department and function within the credit union.
Just ten days before the Covid-19 pandemic took hold in March 2020, Angela Jeffers took the helm as Patelco’s first in-house legal counsel since its inception. Patelco is approaching the $10 billion threshold that has very significant implications as a part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank). This threshold unlocks a level of complexity for credit unions, including increased costs and pressures on revenue. It impacts the entire organization, from the Board to front-line staff.
