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My name is Carrie and I am CUES.

I began my career in the credit union industry as an accounting/mail clerk in 1992, but I soon made a move into lending after recognizing the power money had on a person’s ability to achieve their goals and dreams. I was able to see the connection to how the credit union could help members navigate the financial world and wanted to be a part of that. I quickly rose through the ranks in the lending department serving in various roles.

Along the way, I was also attending night school and one of my professors encouraged me to take on a management role at the credit union. After reflecting on this feedback, I pursued it, spending two years managing the lending side of our call center, and then transferring to a management position in accounting to deepen my understanding of the organization. After completing my education, the VP of Lending position opened up in 2003, and after a rigorous interview process, I got the job!

In 2005, I led the effort to begin a business lending program, and by the end of the year, added that to my list of responsibilities. I’m now the SVP of Business Services and Development and oversee the business lending and business services functions, as well as SEG development and student outreach efforts at Summit Credit Union.

I started contemplating CUES membership two years ago because a number of individuals at my organization were already members, and spoke often about the networking and listserv benefits. What finally prompted me to sign up was feedback from one of my colleagues on the business lending program offered through CUES.

I have since completed the CUES School of Business Lending™ and experienced its value firsthand. It gave me fresh ideas and inspired my current vision for where I plan to take our program over the next few years. I also sent two of my staff last year, and will be sending someone again this year.

My vision is to contribute to the growth of my credit union. I want to cultivate relationships within employer groups, foster organic growth and impact our economy and community by helping small business members. They are a significant part of our economy and our membership—helping them grow will create jobs in our community.

My ultimate goal is to lead a credit union. Not necessarily in a two- or five-year plan; it’s more like something I’m heading towards in the future, and CUES’ CEO Institute could very well help me with that.

I also enjoy attending the CUES Wisconsin Council meetings. The last meeting provided many ideas that challenge attendees to think differently about collaboration and operational efficiency—two very relevant topics given the current economy. The opportunity to talk to other credit unions in the local market about the challenges we’re facing, particularly in today’s regulatory environment, was extremely valuable as well. I also remain connected to CUES through LinkedIn, which contains helpful postings and information, and look forward to receiving my copy of Credit Union Management each month.

As part of our CUES Membership renewal in 2010, we had the opportunity to add a few new members for free, and we did not hesitate to take advantage of that. There is value to being connected and knowing more about what is going on in the industry.

My name is Carrie, from Summit Credit Union, Madison, Wis., and I am CUES.