Melissa Fuentes, vice president of employee relations at San Diego County Credit Union® (SDCCU®), San Diego’s largest locally-owned financial institution, was named 2019 HR Rockstar of the Year by the San Diego Human Resources (SDHR) Forum. The awards program recognizes those who exemplify the strategic role of Human Resources and outstanding leadership within the HR community in San Diego County.
Fuentes was named Rockstar of the Year largely in part for her work and leadership as part of the HR team at SDCCU, overseeing the credit union’s Total Rewards Program, which includes the employee benefits and retirement program, the health and safety function—including worker’s compensation and leaves of absence—and performance management, improvement and coaching.
“Melissa is a strategic, inclusive, innovative, inspiring and passionate leader,” said SDCCU Executive Vice President of HR Michelle Pagni. “Her leadership has not only saved the credit union exponentially in benefits renewal negotiations, but the work of her and her team has helped fuel the evolution of SDCCU’s award-winning ‘Feel the Teal’ culture—which has been an essential component of SDCCU’s continued growth and success.”
SDCCU employees are engaged and producing at their optimum potential, which is evident in the numbers. The credit union has grown to $8.4 billion in assets and reached over 418,000 members, positioning as a top credit union in the nation. SDCCU was also recently voted by readers of The San Diego Union-Tribune as BEST Credit Union for the 20th consecutive year, BEST Auto Loan Provider for the sixth year and for the tenth year in a row: BEST Financial Planner and BEST Mortgage Home Loan Provider.
Melissa and her team have received numerous accolades over the years, including being named Best Place to Work multiple years in a row by readers of The San Diego Union-Tribune and Healthiest Companies numerous times over by the San Diego Business Journal. For the past two years, SDCCU has been recognized with a Best & Brightest in Wellness Award by the National Association for Business Resources, and in 2019 was recognized with an additional acknowledgement with the San Diego’s Best of the Best Wellness Employer Elite award.
With more than 15 years of experience in human resources and employee relations management, Fuentes is responsible for leading and directing SDCCU’s Employee Relations to foster a positive and collaborative work environment through policies, procedures and employment practices. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from University of Phoenix. She is a member of the California Chamber of Commerce, San Diego Society for Human Resource Management and HRD Network, a networking trade group for credit union professionals.
Melissa Fuentes.