Credit the Louisiana CU League with a sign that the credit union movement – at least from an employment perspective – may finally be getting younger.
Most credit union conferences feature
“This is the first of its kind, to the best of my knowledge,” said Lynette Hazelton, the marketing director at Heart of Louisiana Credit Union, a $104 million institution based in Pineville, La. and a member of the steering committee for the YPN’s Alexandria chapter.
“Four of the ‘reverse crashers’ were local credit union executives and they discussed their careers and passion for the industry, which I think provided much inspiration for the younger crowd,” she said.
The five reverse crashers (who were selected by the YPN steering committee) included:
- Lawoka Bolden, CEO of First Pioneers FCU (a $25 million institution based in Lafayette)
- Bert Callender, VP of facilities at La Capitol FCU ($493 million, Baton Rouge)
- Paul Reed, a volunteer at Access of Louisiana FCU ($29.6 million, Sulphur)
- Glenda Rushe, CEO of St Tammany FCU ($21 million, Slidell)
- Anna Suire, CEO of Section 705 FCU ($33 million, Lafayette)
According to Ronaldo Hardy, the 33-year-old CEO of Southwest Louisiana CU and founder of the YPN, the event was designed to allow credit union professionals over age 40 to share their wisdom and experience with the younger cohort.
“In the past, crash events were always designed for young professionals to experience conferences that we would not otherwise have an opportunity to attend, but this time we wanted to do something different because we saw it as an opportunity to do a knowledge exchange between the generations.”
Hardy and Hazelton said the event was so successful at increasing engagement and exposure for young professionals that they will likely be repeated at future league conferences.
'Passion and energy'
One of the “reverse crashers,” Section 705 FCU CEO Anna Suire, said participants were asked to discuss with a group of people “our involvement with the credit union and what we were most passionate about.”
“I mentioned to the group that, number one, you are never too young to begin your career with the credit union,” she said. “Be sure that you educate yourself about the history of the credit union movement and what makes us unique. Learn about the products and services that your credit union offers. Take advantage of CUNA Management School, any conferences that you can better yourself and your credit union with. Get involved with your chapter and community.”
Suire said she saw considerable “passion and energy” in the group she spoke with, which ranged from individuals that have been with their credit union for only a couple of months to those who have more than 40 years under their belts.
And, she added, the event was plenty popular. While Suire said she’d like to attend future reverse crashes, “this was by invitation only, and I know of other seasoned employees who would want to experience sharing their careers with upcoming credit union professionals.”
Another reverse crasher, Glenda Rushe, CEO of St. Tammany FCU, said the roundtable discussions were an “excellent experience” and she looks forward to participating in future events.
“I think I showed them my passion for the credit union movement, but in exchange, I saw the passion that they had as well,” she said.
Rushe said most of the YPN members she spoke to were in their 30s, so she had the benefit of seniority and experience with which to impart her wisdom.
”But as much as they got from me, I got back from them,” she added. “And I feel very comfortable with these people as they will become the leaders of the industry in the coming years. They really gave me a burst of energy and re-ignited my own passion.”
