Friday Five w/Dave Adams | Friday Five Special Guests
Episode Archive
- Episode 32: April 28, 2021
Patty Corkery, Michigan Credit Union League & Affiliates
- Episode 31: March 26, 2021
Harvey Hosking, President/CEO, PFCU
Heather Spitzley, SVP of HR and Training, PFCU
Tori Thelen, Culture & Development Manager, PFCU
Harvey has been serving the credit union since 1989. He began leading the credit union, which has grown to 690 million dollar in assets, with 52,000 members and 174 employees, as President/CEO in 2013. Prior to joining PFCU, Harvey worked for a small community bank and held various positions, including Teller, Branch Manager, Loan/Member Service Manager and EVP.
Heather leads the credit union’s HR team and has served the credit union community for more than 17 years, joining PFCU in 2015. Tori started at PFCU as a teller more than six years ago and has since worked in Loans, Management Development and HR positions.
- Episode 30: March 19, 2021
Jennifer Dickey, CEO, Cornerstone Community Financial Credit Union
Jennifer Bleau, VP of Marketing, Cornerstone Community Financial Credit Union
Jennifer Dickey has worked in the service and financial services industry for more than two decades. At Cornerstone Community, a $335 million asset credit union with nearly 25,000 members, she is responsible for leading all facets of Human Resources for its 75 employees, including aligning corporate culture and talent capabilities to support strategic priorities.
Jennifer Bleau brings more than 14 years of financial services experience to the credit union. She joined the executive team at Cornerstone in 2019 and has been with the team for nearly seven years. Under her leadership, the Marketing department has launched several successful initiatives, such as fundraising for pediatric cancer patients at Children’s Hospital of Michigan, a completely new branding redesign and internal staff retention and improvement programs that resulted in consecutive Cool Places to Work/Top Workplaces wins. - Episode 29: March 12, 2021
Kris Lewis, CEO, Allegan Credit Union
Jennifer West, VP of Operations, Allegan Credit Union
Kris became CEO of Allegan, a $62 million asset credit union with nearly 9,000 members, in 2015 after working in various positions with Kellogg Community Credit Union and Consumers Credit Union, including Senior Lending Manager. During his time at Allegan, he has grown assets by 18.5% and has seen continual member and loan growth. Kris is also very involved with MCUL’s PAC programs and serves on boards for CU Answers and MiCUSO.
Jennifer has been with Allegan since 2004, originally as a Teller before working her way up to VP of Operations. In her role, she oversees strategic operations of three branch locations and the call center, operations and human resource departments.
- Episode 28: March 5, 2021
Terry O'Rourke, President/CEO, United Federal Credit Union
Kimetha Firpo, SVP of Human Resources, United Federal Credit Union
United Federal Credit Union, named Terry CEO in 2016. Prior to that, he served as the CFO for Lake Michigan Credit Union and brought with him more than 15 years of financial service industry and corporate management experience. Presently, he also serves on the Board of Directors for Cornerstone Alliance (Southwest Michigan’s Economic Development Agency) and Boys and Girls Club of Benton Harbor, and previously served on the Board of Directors for Harbor Habitat for Humanity.
Kimetha joined UFCU in 2019 after spending time as the SVP of Organizational Development and an HR Business Partner at MB Financial, supporting several key business lines for the $20-billion asset bank. She brought with her more than a decade of HR team leadership experience.
- Episode 27: February 26, 2021
Amanda Craig, Chief Experience Officer, Honor Credit Union
Katie Berry, Chief People Officer, Honor Credit Union
Amanda has been with Honor, a one-billion asset credit union with nearly 90,000 members, since 2008, when she started as a Branch Manager. In that time, she has overseen the Compliance/Audit/Risk, Card Operations, Collections, Operations, IT, Facilities, Marketing and Member Experience operations. Amanda also serves as District 1 alternate director for MCUL, board member for Summit Financial Wellness and Worldpay Financial Institution Advisory Council.
Before being named CPO last year, Katie held multiple positions at Honor since 2009, including Benefits Specialist and various responsibilities in Training, Recruiting, Human Resources. As the CPO, she leads the Human Resources, Organizational Development, Talent Acquisition and Culture teams. - Episode 26: February 19, 2021
Ann Marie Nelson, President/CEO, Adventure Credit Union
Amanda Garabedian, COO, Adventure Credit Union
Ann Marie has been with the credit union, which has nearly $400 million in assets and 30,000 members, since April 2019, with more than 35 years total in the credit union industry. She began her career as a teller for Lansing Community Credit Union and has since served as a COO, SCP of Branch Operations and SVP of Human Resources.
Amanda has been with the credit union since May 2019 and has more than 15 years in the credit union industry. Prior to coming on board with Adventure, she spent the previous four years at CUProdigy as the AVP of Conversion Services. - Episode 25: February 12, 2021
Donna Siejutt, Chief Human Resource & Marketing Officer, Community Choice Credit Union
Cheryl Duncan, AVP of Human Resources, Community Choice Credit Union
Lindsey Lightbody, Training Manager, Community Choice Credit Union
With more than 25 years of experience, Donna leads the HR operations of Community Choice, a credit union with more than $1 billion in assets, over 105,000 members and 300 employees . Her focus is retaining talent through supporting autonomy and building team member knowledge.
Cheryl brings three decades of industry service to the table, from five different credit unions. She also serves as a Board Member of the Macomb Foster Closet and a regular volunteer for MCREST, Macomb Warming Center and Kensington Kids. Lindsey, a credit union professional of 12 years, has held a variety of roles within Community Choice, including performance management and sales and service roles.
- Episode 24: February 5, 2021
Allan McMorris, President & CEO, Vibe Michigan Credit Union
Alison Klott,VP of Human Resources, Vibe Credit Union
During nearly four decades as CEO of Vibe (previously Oakland County Credit Union), Allan has driven the credit union to more than $1 billion in assets, garnering a reputation along the way as a passionate and caring leader and dedicated credit union advocate. He has also served as Chairman of MCUL, CUNA, NCUF and CO-OP Financial Services.
Allan and Alison have worked together for 32 years. She started as Oakland County’s Accounting Supervisor before becoming EVP of the credit union. As Vibe’s VP of Human Resources and Training, she oversees 240 employees across 16 branches.
- Episode 23: January 29, 2021
Tiffany Ford, President & CEO, University of Michigan Credit Union
Candy Keene,VP of Talent Development and HR, University of Michigan Credit Union
Tiffany has been with UMCU since 2011, and under her leadership, the credit union has grown to $1.1 billion in assets and more than 104,000 members. During her tenure, UMCU has also received many awards, including Detroit Free Press Top Workplace and Best & Brightest Companies to Work For. And in 2017, Tiffany was the recipient of the MCUL Professional of the Year Award.
Candy has been with UMCU since 1995 and has served in various positions, touching the Accounting, Lending and Contact Center departments before transitioning to the Talent team.
- Episode 22: January 22, 2021
Vickie Schmitzer, CEO, Frankenmuth Credit Union
Vickie became CEO of Frankenmuth Credit Union in 2003, previously serving as the Vice President since 1979. During this time, she has seen Frankenmuth Credit Union grow from three employees to well over 300, with assets nearing $1 billion. In 2020, Forbes named Frankenmuth the Best Michigan Credit Union.
Vickie is currently the Chairperson and Board Member of Frankenmuth Chamber of Commerce, Executive Committee Member of the Mid-Michigan Chapter of Credit Unions, and a board member for CU Answers, Neighborhood Mortgage Solutions, Strategic Income Solutions and the World Council of Credit Unions.
- Episode 21: January 15, 2021
Jeff Benson, President/CEO, CASE Credit Union
Kevin Badge, VP of Human Resources, CASE Credit Union
Jeff has been leading the credit union since 2010 and, along with Kevin’s work within HR, has always aimed to help every member achieve the financial success they not only deserve, but may otherwise not have been given elsewhere.
Jeff’s vision for CASE Credit Union has always been to help every member and future member achieve the financial success that they aspire to by offering innovative products and services to individuals who may otherwise not have been given the opportunity at another financial institution.
- Episode 20: January 8, 2021
Rodney Hood, Chairman, NCUA
President Donald J. Trump nominated Rodney E. Hood for the NCUA Board on January 19, 2019. The U.S. Senate confirmed him on March 14, 2019; he took the oath of office on April 8, 2019; and he was designated as the eleventh NCUA Chairman by President Trump.
As NCUA Board Chairman, Mr. Hood also serves as a voting member of the Financial Stability Oversight Council. He also represents the NCUA on the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council and the Financial and Banking Information Infrastructure Committee.Mr. Hood’s professional awards include being named one of the “40 Young Leaders Under the Age of 40” by the Triangle Business Journal in Raleigh, North Carolina. He is also the first recipient of the “Dream Award,” an award given by the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation to honor individuals who have exhibited an outstanding commitment to affordable housing.
A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Mr. Hood holds a bachelor’s degree in business, communications, and political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- Episode 19: December 18, 2020
Michael Poulos, President/CEO, Michigan First Credit Union
An inspirational credit union leader, Michael Poulos has driven expansion and innovation since he became president/CEO of Michigan First Credit Union in 2000. He has grown the credit union to nearly 170,000 members and more than $1 billion in assets with an emphasis on exceptional service and ongoing investment in new technology. Through expanding lending programs, implementing effective sales practices and cultivating a focus on high-touch service, he has built a culture of success at Michigan First. As a result of his vision, Poulos has attracted a new generation of members to Michigan First by investing in youth and young adult financial education programs.
He is a member of the Credit Union Executive Society and is a frequent presenter at industry events, including serving on the faculty of Credit Union Marketing University in Tempe, AZ. He earned an M.B.A. from Russell Sage College as well as a Bachelors degree in Accounting from LeMoyne College.
- Episode 18: December 11, 2020
Chrissy Siders, President/CEO, CP Financial Credit Union
Chrissy joined the credit union in 1998 as a part-time teller and worked her way to President/CEO in 2017 after holding various roles within the organization, particularly in compliance, security, fraud, internal audit and risk management.
Along with her certified expertise in compliance, fraud and risk management and credit union leadership, Chrissy is very involved in boards and education systems outside the industry. She serves as an adjunct professor at Spring Arbor University in both their undergraduate and graduate programs, and chairs the Jackson College & Career Access Center Board and Henry Ford Allegiance Health Hospice Board. She is also the treasurer for the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and serves on the Board of the Enterprise Group and as a trustee on the Henry Ford Allegiance Health Board.
- Episode 17: December 4, 2020
Jon Looman, President/CEO, Community West Credit Union
Jon has spent the last decade as the leader of Community West Credit Union. In that time, he has prioritized the credit union’s mission to develop passionate, empowered employees that enrich the lives of its members and communities.
Jon’s leadership, which values trust and accountability and foregrounds innovation and teamwork, has evolved during his tenure in the Michigan credit union movement, serving in many positions at Trenton Federal Credit Union, Auto Body Credit Union and Lansing Automakers Federal Credit Union.
- Episode 16: November 27, 2020
Bill Lawton, CEO, Community Financial Credit Union
Bill joined Community Financial in 1975 and has spent the last 45 years serving a variety of positions, including Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, before becoming CEO in 2004. Since 1985, along with his own growth as a leader, the credit union has grown from $75 million in assets to more than $1 billion.
Bill is also highly engaged in both the larger Michigan credit union community and the Plymouth community. He currently serves as a board member for CU Solutions Group, Plymouth Community Arts Council, Detroit Cristo Rey High School and Kiwanis, and has previously served on the board of the Community Foundation of Plymouth. - Episode 15: November 13, 2020
Brad Bergmooser, CEO, Financial Plus Credit Union
Brad became CEO of Financial Plus Credit Union in January, 2020. Headquartered in Flint, Michigan, FPCU serves over 55,000 members through its branch network and digital banking channels. Brad works with the credit union team and its Board of Directors to continue its mission of delivering trusted, technologically forward, and easily-accessible financial services to the communities it serves. Prior to returning home to Michigan, the Monroe native most recently served as Vice President and General Counsel of Illinois-based Baxter Credit Union.
Brad holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Political Science from Western Michigan University, a Juris Doctor from the University of Toledo College of Law, and a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame. - Episode 14: November 6, 2020
Connie Toensing, CEO, Chippewa County Credit Union
Ms. Toensing got her start in the workforce in the fast-food industry at the age of 16. After five years of swing shifts, nights, weekends and a newborn son, she decided to look for a bookkeeping job. Connie truly grew with the business. Starting in 1984, the credit union was 1 million in assets and she worked in every area of the credit union. Today at 33 million in assets you still may see her shoveling snow from the sidewalk. In 1997, when her boss retired from the credit union, Connie was promoted to CEO and became active in the UP Chapter immediately and she has served on the UP-Executive committee ever since. For the past five years she has represented the UP Chapter on the MCUL Board of Directors.
Connie lives with her husband, Fred, on 20 acres of hardwood trees. With their combined families she have two sons, one stepdaughter and one stepson. They have four grandsons and one granddaughter. - Episode 13: October 30, 2020
Anita Fox, Director, Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services
Ms. Fox practiced law in Washington DC and Michigan, managing complex litigation in federal and state courts and providing advice and counsel to individuals and businesses on a broad range of topics. She has lectured in the U.S. and abroad, in addition to teaching Insurance Law at Michigan State University College of Law. Ms. Fox was inducted into the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel and recognized by Lawyers’ Weekly as a 2014 Women in the Law honoree. She has also served in a staff advisory role on several U.S. Presidential campaigns and was appointed by Governor Jennifer Granholm to serve as board member and legal counsel for several charitable foundations.
In January 2019 Anita G. Fox was appointed to Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Cabinet as the Director of the Department of Insurance and Financial Services. - Episode 12: October 23, 2020
Michael Goad, CEO, Dow Chemical Employees' Credit Union
Michael started in banking at Miami's SunBank in 1988 as a Financial Analyst and Fed Funds Trader. He has since served as the CFO of Cornerstone University and two sister community banks (The Bank of Holland/The Bank of Northern Michigan). Michael moved into the credit union world when he served as the CFO of Lake Michigan Credit Union and then the CFO of Notre Dame FCU, where he also had the opportunity to teach a finance class at the University. Michael joined Dow Chemical Employees’ Credit Union in January of 2018 as CFO and became CEO on April 1, 2020. - Episode 11: October 16, 2020
Scott McFarland, CEO, Honor Credit Union
Scott has been the CEO of Honor Credit Union for 12 years and has been working in the credit union industry since 1989 after his Mom helped get him a job as a floating teller while in college at a local branch. Since joining the Honor Credit Union team as CEO in 2008, the organization has seen strong and steady growth even during challenging economic times. Scott credits the growth in the organization to a loyal member base, a progressive and supportive Board of Directors, and the great people that make up Team Honor!
He lives this philosophy through volunteer work, community activism, political action, and involvement as a Board Member at CU*Answers and CUSG, as well many other local community boards and volunteer organizations. - Episode 10: October 9, 2020
Andy Kempf, CEO, 4Front Credit Union
Andy Kempf is CEO of 4Front Credit Union, headquartered in Traverse City Michigan. Andy began his career as a commercial lender with Comerica Bank before finding his way into the credit union family more than 20 years ago. Andy is very active in the credit union community. He has been involved in credit union chapters for much of his career. He is currently an alternate director of the MCUL and has been on the executive committee of the Paul Bunyan Chapter for the past seven years, where he has served as chairperson of the chapter for the past few years
Andy is married and has a daughter currently attending Grand Valley State University and a son who is a junior in High School. In his free time he spends a lot of time outdoors golfing, hiking, skiing, and boating. - Episode 9: October 2, 2020
Dean Trudeau, CEO, Public Service Credit Union
Dean Trudeau began his career with Public Service Credit Union (previously Wayne County Credit Union) in 1984 as a part-time computer technician and operator. He quickly advanced to Operations Manager, COO, Vice President and became President/CEO in 1994 at the age of 36. Dean regularly attends legislative meetings and events as a strong advocate for Credit Unions and their members. He has served in many charitable causes and encourages staff involvement in the communities they serve.
Dean loves boating and water sports–especially with friends and family. He has been married to his wife Laura for 39 years and they have 3 grown children and 5 grandchildren. Together they love to travel and have been to 45 states, over 30 countries and 6 continents. - Episode 8: September 25, 2020 | Download MP3
Karen Church, CEO, ELGA Credit Union
Karen was introduced to the credit union philosophy of “People Helping People” working a co-op position at ELGA Credit Union her senior year in high school. She returned to ELGA Credit Union in 1978 to further develop her credit union career and was named CEO in 1993. Karen has seen ELGA Credit Union grow from a one branch, $3 million dollar credit union with five employees, to nearly a billion, thirteen branch credit union employing 240 associates.
She grew up the eldest of seven children, has been blessed with a great marriage to Duane for the past 42 years, and has two terrific children, both Michigan State University alumni. She is also a devoted grandmother and loves spending time with her ever expanding family. - Episode 7: September 18, 2020
Heidi Kassab, President & CEO, Cornerstone Community Financial Credit Union
In April 2003, financial operations executive Heidi Kassab, was promoted to president and chief executive officer of Cornerstone Community Financial (CCF), bringing to the leadership role a lifetime of experience that began when a former Girl Scout troop leader offered her a temporary summer job at a credit union. In her time as CEO, Heidi has helped grow CCF’s assets to $330 million, a more than 40 percent increase in the last five years, and membership figures to approximately 25,000 shareholders.
A native Michigander, Heidi graduated from Oakland University with Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting and computer science. She currently resides in Shelby Township, Mich. with her husband and three children. - Episode 6: September 11, 2020 | Download MP3
Hank Hubbard, President/CEO, One Detroit Credit Union
Hank Hubbard is the President/CEO of One Detroit Credit Union. Since becoming CEO in 1991, he has focused on expanding 1DCU’s presence in the community and growing the Credit Union’s product offerings, with an emphasis on financial empowerment and inclusion. Hank served on the board of the Eastside Community Network and is Treasurer of the board for the Detroit CDFI Coalition. He is also the Chair of the Metro West Chapter Community Involvement Committee for the Michigan Credit Union League (MCUL), the co-chair of the MCUL Awards Committee, and a member of the MCUL Metro West Chapter Executive Committee.
- Episode 5: September 4, 2020 | Download MP3
Heather Luciani, CEO, Marshall Community Credit Union
Heather Luciani is the CEO of Marshall Community Credit Union, a community credit union located in Marshall, Michigan, with a branch in Battle Creek. The $265 million credit union serves eight counties and 15,000 members. Heather became CEO in 2010, previously serving in the role of Chief Operating Officer, with a background in lending that began with a community bank. Under Heather’s leadership, Marshall Community Credit Union was a 2019 recipient of the MCUL Outstanding Credit Union of the Year and, for the ninth consecutive year in 2020, is a Raddon Crystal Performance Award recipient. Heather lives in Marshall with her husband, Dan, and twin sons, Jack and Jeremy, who are studying and playing basketball at Indiana Tech.
- Episode 4: August 28, 2020 | Download MP3
John Buckley, President/CEO, Gerber Federal Credit Union
This week, Dave welcomes John Buckley, president/CEO of Gerber Federal Credit Union. John has been the credit union’s CEO for nearly 15 years; he previously served as the MCUL Chairman of the Board and currently serves as a board director for the Paul Bunyan and Moon District. He’s also a former United Way of the Lakeshore Board member and, starting this month, will start a term as Board Member and Compliance Committee Chair for Spectrum Health West Michigan. - Episode 3: August 21, 2020 | Download MP3
Dan Baines, CEO, Bloom Credit Union
This week, Dave welcomes Dan Baines, president/CEO of Bloom Credit Union. Dan has been in the credit union industry for more than forty years, beginning his career with the VAH Employees Federal Credit Union in 1978. Bloom Credit Union is located in Wyoming, Michigan and currently holds over $160 million in member assets, with over 14,000 members. Dan is currently an MCUL board member, where he has served for more than 14 years. He has also been involved with the GR River Chapter for nearly three decades.
Dan is also a board member for Michigan Power Futbol, a nonprofit soccer club in the Wyoming area..
- Episode 2: August 14, 2020 | Download MP3
April Clobes, President & CEO, Michigan State University Federal Credit Union
This week Dave welcomes April Clobes President & CEO of Michigan State University Federal Credit Union. April has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of Michigan State University Federal Credit Union since March of 2015. She joined MSUFCU in 1996 and moved through the organization from a marketing specialist to management and executive positions prior to being named President/CEO. MSUFCU was named as a Top Workplace in the large employer category by the Detroit Free Press for eight consecutive years and is in the top five Michigan credit unions by Forbes Best-in-State Credit Unions. Ms. Clobes is an active leader on several industry, community and university boards. She is currently a member of the Executive Committee and is chair of the Board of Directors for the Lansing Economic Area Partnership and is Chair of the Lansing Symphony. - Episode 1: August 7, 2020 |
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Cheryl DeBoer, President & CEO, Advia Credit Union
This week Dave welcomes Cheryl DeBoer President & CEO of Advia Credit Union. Cheryl has worked in the credit union movement for over 40 years. She is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Advia Credit Union in Parchment, Michigan. Advia Credit Union holds $2.4 billion in member assets, has over 160,000 members and has offices in Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois. She holds a B.S.B.A. from Lawrence Technological University, a M.S. from Madonna University and a J.D. from Thomas M. Cooley Law School. She is currently a Director on the Mortgage Center Board.
