CUES

Credit Union Executives Society
www.cues.org

I have taken advantage of the mentorship component of the membership; I find that to be very important. My mentor and I speak by phone and e-mail; that has been such a great resource

My name is Sean and I am CUES.


My first job in the financial industry was as a teller at a bank. I eventually become the manager of their training department.  I had been there for about five years when they announced there would be a merger. It became clear to me that I should explore other opportunities, and I accepted a job at a credit union where I managed five branches and the training department.

You hear a lot of people say it, but it’s true—there’s a cooperative nature at credit unions that you just don’t get at banks. The focus and dedication of the credit union industry is all about helping members and meeting their needs.  As a credit union we are all about finding ways to meet needs, whereas in my experience in banking this was not always the priority. 

When I was a VP at my previous credit union, my president encouraged me to become a CUES member. That was 13 years ago. I went from being the VP of large credit union to being the CEO of small institution. I had to learn the entire grasp of things quickly, and there’s just no easy way to be trained for that. Utilizing the resources available through CUES was critical for my success, especially in the first six to nine months.

The things I find most beneficial now are the networking and peer groups through CUES Net™; a lot of the discussions happening on CUES Net are right in line with what I’m in need of.  As someone from a smaller credit union, getting easy access to policies and other information is really useful, so I use “Members Share.”

I’m active in the council; whenever I can, I tell attendees about CUES, especially when someone’s new in the industry.

Some small credit unions think they can’t afford CUES Membership, but that’s a huge mistake. CUES Membership is extremely valuable; you get great ROI for your dues. Membership is money well spent. From an executive development point of view, it’s one of the premier resources out there. CUES helps me in my own personal development, as well as the growth of the credit union.

I’m very happy where I’m at, I’m really challenged. I always strive to become a better leader, to grow my credit union as the industry changes. CUES will help me do that.

My name is Sean Gammon from Members Advantage Community Credit Union, and I am CUES.

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