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Brenda Haines
Chairman of the Board
CitizensFirst Credit Union
Oshkosh, Wis.
Assets: $337 million
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My name is Brenda, and I am CUES.
In “real life” I co-own a marketing consulting firm, Blue Door Consulting in Oshkosh, Wis. My role with Blue Door Consulting and my role on the board fit perfectly together.
There are a lot of commonalities between the two. In my job, I have the benefit of learning about new things all the time, and my role in the credit union is much the same—I pick new things up and take in what happens on the board.
I first started as a volunteer when the board chair asked me to serve on the examining committee; as a member of CitizensFirst, it was a great opportunity to serve my credit union.
In addition to my role on the CitizensFirst board, I also serve on the board of The Women’s Fund; I’m a member of the Oshkosh Rotary Club and serve as a speech coach for the Boys and Girls Club Youth of the Year. I am also a mentor for the WAVE Robotics Team. That’s a ton of fun—the high school participants get a kit of parts, and they have six weeks to build a robot, which they take into competition.
Community-based financial institutions play such an important role in our society. Helping my credit union find new ways to become responsive to members, and how best to serve our members is an honor, and that’s why I volunteer.
I joined CUES because it’s important as a volunteer to have exposure to what else is happening in the industry, to have access to thought leaders, and to interact with credit union peers.
Most of the challenges we face as directors aren’t unique to us, so having the ability to network is a tremendous benefit. We’ll never know everything as volunteers, but with CUES we have the resources to move our organizations forward.
CUES events are thought-provoking, informational and motivating. I’ve been to one a year since 2005: CUES Symposium in 2008 and 2010; CUES Director Development Seminar in 2009; CUES Advanced Leadership Institute in 2007; and CUES Annual Convention in 2005 and 2006.
The education I’ve obtained through CUES is extremely valuable, and I’ve applied it directly to the decisions that we are making at our credit union.
My name is Brenda, from CitizensFirst Credit Union, and I am CUES.
