Q: What led you to the credit union sector, and to TruEnergy Federal Credit Union?
A: I was an accounting director at a hospital, and I had the opportunity to be a vice president at Treasury Department Federal Credit Union. I took a pay cut for the job because I wanted to be one of the few African Americans at a vice president level at a credit union. But once I got into the credit union industry, I just loved it. I was able to help people with their financial dreams — and to me, that’s a huge responsibility. When I was hired at TruEnergy 11 years ago, I was a COO at a larger credit union, and I had been a CFO for most of my 19 years there. Now I’ve been in the industry 30 years.
Q: Are diversity and inclusion still priorities for you?
A: Absolutely. I sit on the board of the African-American Credit Union Coalition, and I’ve been involved in that association for 15 years. AACUC has played a major role in my professional development in the industry. Over the years, I have made connections and mentor-mentee relationships with many credit union leaders who have offered advice on various subject matters relating to the industry
Q: How would you describe your leadership style?
A: It is all about empowerment and listening to others. I pride myself on trying to always be truthful and let my employees, “Team TruEnergy,” know why we are here: to serve our members; they are our top priority.
I also believe that training and educational opportunities are a must. Being a small credit union, cross-training is very important to us. We have to be able to roll up our sleeves and get the job done to provide outstanding service to our membership
Q: TruEnergy — formerly Washington Gas Light Federal Credit Union — just celebrated its 80th anniversary. To what do you attribute that kind of longevity?
A: We may not be that big, but we are strong. We have survived — from 1939 and the Great Depression — through a few recessions, and we are still standing strong. When I joined in 2008, the economy had tanked. There were many credit unions that fell by the wayside during that recession, but we had the cash flow to lend and hang in there. I have a board of directors that has empowered me over the years to run the credit union’s operations, and it also allows our management team to be included in the credit union’s strategic direction.
Q: What was the reasoning behind the name change?
A: Over the years, we expanded our field of membership to include not only employees past and present of Washington Gas Co. but also other contractors in the energy community. As a result, this gave us the opportunity to have a new name that would resonate in the energy industry. The name TruEnergy Federal Credit Union makes us inclusive of our full membership.
Q: What are some of the new technologies and trends that you are incorporating into TruEnergy’s business model and offerings?
A: When you’re a small credit union with one branch, you really have to have that infrastructure in place if you want to serve members around the country. Also, we have mobile apps that alert you when you use your credit card or debit card; those to me are very important because they help credit unions minimize fraud.
Another threat I see exists in cybersecurity. Credit unions need to have some cybersecurity insurance and make sure their IT infrastructure is safe and sound. You can’t do it all internally; you have to have outside contractors looking at your IT infrastructure to make sure you’re OK.
This article was published in the July-August 2019 edition of The NAFCU Journal magazine.
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