9 minutes
No matter how powerful or sophisticated the technology is behind an institution, it cannot succeed without strong leaders driving its vision. I have been pleased to see successful and motivated individuals rising through the ranks at our credit union clients. Credit unions are empowering young and bright leaders to build their futures, people who are worth noticing and learning from.
This column profiles a few of these executives, discussing their rise to leadership and advice on continuing succession planning. The common themes of hiring from diverse backgrounds, recruiting young people, empowering employees with the big picture, and solid communication skills resound through these testimonials.
In each case, these executives were recognized early for their skills and aptitude, they have made a very positive impact on their respective institutions, and they continue to search for the next generation of credit union leaders. Succession planning is an ongoing and often challenging discussion for any credit union. But hearing from all-stars like Nathanael Tarwasokono, Justin Orr and Andrew Rogers provides a strong sense of pride in the credit union movement, and confidence in its continued excellence for decades to come.
Profile: Nathanael Tarwasokono
CEO
$428 million Pima Federal Credit Union
Tucson, Ariz.
Core: Symitar® Episys®
Background: CUES member Tarwasokono learned about credit unions from one of his college professors who was also a credit union CEO. The professor introduced him to the then-CEO of Pima Federal Credit Union, James Knoff, who took Tarwasokono under his wing. Tarwasokono’s first post-grad job came in 2002 on hourly pay as Pima’s fraud investigator. His first assignment was focused on reducing fraud losses and ensuring compliance with the USA Patriot Act. In a year’s time, he had helped the credit union reduce its fraud losses by almost 60 percent.
It was a noticeable impact he’d made on the credit union in a short time that earned him a promotion to risk manager shortly thereafter. For family reasons, however, Tarwasokono would move his family to North Carolina, where he landed a position with then Wachovia National Bank.
Now: At 28 years old and four years into his hiatus from the credit union, Tarwasokono received a call from Knoff, who was retiring. Knoff asked if he was interested in interviewing for a vice president role with the potential to be the next CEO. Tarwasokono interviewed with the board and was offered the VP position. Over the next 18 months, he worked closely with Knoff and the board, becoming CEO in July 2008.
Now 36 years old, the credit union has grown by 75 percent due to both mergers and organic growth. Tarwasokono led the merger of a $60 million credit union with Pima FCU during his first year, oversaw a core conversion in his second, and expanded the credit union’s corporate offices in his third. Many members of the team that Tarwasokono inherited have since retired, and he has built a management team of what he calls “smart people that care about helping others.”
Tips for success: Tarwasokono prides himself at being good at understanding people; his current management team has come from diverse backgrounds through both strategic introductions and relationships forged by chance. He is not afraid of failure and receives strong backing from his board (most of whom are in their 60s and 70s) due to his transparent management style. The CEO that hired him as a college graduate remains a mentor to this day. Tarwasokono is a strong believer that people notice hard work and dedication. He believes in looking your best, doing your best, and being your best.
Continuing the tradition: Cultivating an open and empowering work atmosphere has helped Tarwasokono recruit and retain employees even when he may be at a competitive disadvantage in pay or benefits to larger organizations. He believes people want to work for organizations that care about them as individuals and provide them with avenues in which to grow.
He says, “My goal as the new CEO was to preserve our core purpose and stimulate progress. Mr. Knoff and the board had built a strong credit union, and my job was to take the organization to the next level. With the support of a great team, we have found more ways to be relevant to our members, give back to the community, and grow the credit union.”
Profile: Justin Orr
SVP/Information Technology
$607 million Alabama Telco Credit Union
Birmingham, Ala.
Core: Symitar® Episys® (in-house)
Background: Orr started his career in sales, moving from insurance to computer sales and eventually selling to credit unions, where he developed a good relationship with the CEO of Alabama Telco Credit Union. Orr was brought on as CIO soon thereafter, his first position at any credit union, at the age of 31. At the time, the credit union was evaluating core vendors and Orr was recruited to run that effort. His first year on the job was dedicated to core software RFPs and, for two years, he was a one-man show with no direct reports.
Now: Twelve years later, Orr has grown Alabama Telco CU’s technology infrastructure from four servers to more than 50. “The abundance of regulations, competitive technologies and strategic planning requires a lot more than it did just a short time ago,” he says. And, the role of IT figures into nearly every aspect of those discussions today.
Tips for success: Orr was able to join the credit union at an ideal time, during a core change and the gradual retirement of the previous IT manager. She stayed on with Alabama Telco CU until the conversion was completed, an instrumental key to the success of the conversion. Her role enabled Orr to learn everything from the ground up and initiate fresh practices with the new core.
According to Orr, joining from outside the credit union world was an advantage, as he could “translate” Alabama Telco CU’s plans and technology better to make sure that all employees understood concepts and were collectively on board with system strategy and utilization. Orr was able to create big picture ideas for the credit union, and avoid being limited to a “this is the way we’ve always done it” mindset.
Another piece of advice Orr suggests: “Each employee in IT needs to be an expert on all aspects of the credit union.” Credit unions typically run with such bare minimum resources that sustained succession planning takes into account building depth via cross-training on systems, projects and tactical responsibilities. He adds: “People need to know aspects of the credit union that are not necessarily their job today, because it could be tomorrow.”
Continuing the tradition: Orr likes to hire young people that are “green” to the industry. His AVP, Al Patel, also came in young and was promoted quickly. Orr judges new hires based on their aptitude and technical knowledge rather than experience.
“At some point, you reach a level of seniority when your days are filled with meetings and you can’t spend enough time with all of the new technology. It is vital to find people for your team with new and fresh ways of thinking,” he commented. “With credit unions all around trying to appeal to new generations and establish these demographics as lifetime members, the first step is well-thought-out talent recruitment to create and then execute the ideas that most likely to appeal to them.”
Profile: Andrew Rogers
VP/Operations and Information
$228 million Westerly Community Credit Union
Westerly, R.I.
Core: Symitar® EASE™, the outsourced version of Episys®
Background: Rogers started working at Westerly Community CU as an intern teller while he was in high school, and stayed on as a member service representative for deposit accounts thereafter. By the time he made it to college, Rogers had moved into the lending department. During his senior year of college, the credit union’s CEO promoted Rogers to a systems analyst where he worked on developing PowerOn® applications for the Symitar® core, mostly writing code and correcting a lot of inefficiencies. He quickly worked his way up through the operations and IT side of the credit union.
Now: At 29 years old, Rogers is 15 years younger than the next youngest member of the management team. He is helping the credit union move to a more hosted environment – including its core system – to better leverage opportunities of scale. He also is spending a lot of time working to deliver a true e-branch experience while updating existing in-branch technologies. The management understands the importance of the new technologies he’s introducing; it is an investment into the credit union’s future and younger members.
“It’s a relaxed culture here,” says Rogers. “But we have clear, defined objectives shaped by our CEO. It comes down to translating those objectives to each employee so everyone plays their part in helping the credit union as a whole exceed its goals.”
Tips for success: Successful credit union employees have to really understand the roots of the broader credit union movement, and why we are here, Rogers says. He continually sends employees to credit union and vendor schools, which helps Westerly Community CU stay competitive.
“Members select Westerly Community Credit Union as their primary financial institution every day; ensuring employees understand why we go the extra mile is what makes the difference.”
Continuing the tradition: Rogers has interns to help him with IT and operations activities. He typically chooses high school and college interns to pay it forward. He continues to look for young people with technical aptitude. Rogers acknowledges that the CEO who brought him on as intern took a chance with his hire, and believed in his potential. If someone has a drive and natural analytical skills, a lot can be taught from there. “So many people think that younger generations are not hard workers, but we cannot be pigeon-holed by that,” Rogers says. “There are a lot of people out there that have the drive to see the credit union movement succeed. We need to talk about them more.”
Rogers concludes, “We need insight on what technology will be applicable tomorrow and 10 years from now, ensuring any investment we make now will pay off long term. Technology is a big part of our business plan, and these younger generations help drive us in the right direction.”
Ted Bilke is president of Symitar, a division of Jack Henry & Associates, Inc. (NASDAQ:JKHY), a leading provider of integrated computer systems for credit unions of all sizes. Symitar has been selected as the primary technology partner by more than 800 credit unions, serving as a single source for integrated, enterprise-wide automation and as a single point of contact and support.
