A credit union CEO with a 'golden' touch

Growing up in San Francisco in a family of modest means, Donna Bland used to look out the window and dream big.

"I was inspired by the skyline, and I could see the financial impact this industry had," said Bland, one of American Banker's Most Powerful Women in Credit Unions for 2022. "I learned the value of a dollar very early and had to manage what little money I had very carefully. I paid my way through college, so I was on a tight budget. I learned financial management personally and it seemed like an easy transition to do it at scale."

Today, Bland is the CEO of one of the largest credit unions in the United States. She joined Golden 1 Credit Union in Sacramento, California, in 1994 as controller when the organization had $1.5 billion of assets. She became chief financial officer two years later.

After 13 years as CFO, Bland was named president and CEO in 2010, and has held this position for 12 years. The credit union now has $18.3 billion of assets, making it the sixth-largest credit union in the country.

Golden 1 is a credit union that has learned how to change with the times. It was founded in 1933 as the California State Employees Credit Union #1, and changed its name to Golden 1 in 1977. This change reflected a goal of broadening the credit union's membership to cover anyone in the entire Golden State, and required a more ambitious outreach than its previous reliance on word of mouth.

Rudy Meyers Photographie

Geoff Bacino, a credit union consultant and a former National Credit Union Administration board member, said Bland has done an "excellent" job leading Golden 1, and said she has to be considered one of the top CEOs in the country. 

"Golden 1's growth is impressive and they were at the forefront of recognizing regional and national branding when they became the arena sponsor of the NBA's Sacramento Kings. Donna took what Stan Hollen had started and perfected it," Bacino said, referring to Bland's predecessor. 

Today, Golden 1 has more than 1 million members.

Bland was recently appointed to the board of directors of the California Credit Union League, representing the interests of 279 credit unions in California and their nearly 13.3 million members.

She is also active in the broader financial services industry, serving on the Visa Senior Client Council, California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation's Credit Union Advisory Committee and the Credit Union National Association's Credit Union Powers Subcommittee.

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Bland said one benefit of sitting at the CEO's desk is that she can be a role model to many other women who are looking at the potential of their own careers.

"I went to an all-girls high school and that experience was amazing, to be in an environment where women were everything, and that established to me — as a woman I could do anything," Bland said. 

Women can achieve their career goals without giving up on raising a family, Bland said.

"A lot has evolved since I started out, and to have role models of women who have done both — have a successful career and strong family — you learn you can balance both," she said. "To have someone who has already done that, to be an example, I think is really important. I also believe that women lead with more empathy and understanding, given our more nurturing roles in life, and I think that is a valuable role to have as a leader in any organization."

Allyson Hill, Golden 1's chief financial officer, has worked with Bland for more than 10 years. She said Bland not only leads by example but has been instrumental in Golden 1's growth. 

"Donna is deeply committed to ensuring Golden 1 gives back to the diverse communities and organizations we serve," Hill said. "She has focused on bringing structure to Golden 1's corporate giving program throughout the past decade as well as assuring our philanthropy is strategic, deliberate and sustained."