Judy Tharp, retired president and CEO of Piedmont Advantage Credit Union, discusses her 40-year career with Doug, including becoming a CEO at the age of 22. She shares the insights she gained from her experience, how to get buy-in from a credit union board, and advice for rising credit union leaders. She also speaks particularly to female professionals and their unique challenges, such as managing gender bias, gender wage gaps, and family dynamics as a credit union executive.

Listen to the full episode to hear more about Judy’s long career and the lessons she learned along the way.

How can credit unions stay relevant when big banks drive trends? Doug English welcomes Steve Fowler, retired president and CEO of the South Carolina Credit Union League (SCCUL), to discuss his role during the rapid growth period of credit unions in the 2000s. Steve recounts how leaders of the credit union movement innovated to meet members’ evolving needs in the face of new products and services offered by larger institutions.

His experience is a valuable lesson for credit union executives across the country—who continually face changes with technology, regulation, and their members’ preferences—in how they may adapt and keep thriving when new trends and services emerge.

Executive compensation benefits are essential to incentivizing and retaining top executives while helping them save enough for retirement. While these types of packages are critical to a credit union executive, proposing new benefits and seeking buy-in from a credit union board can result in an awkward and challenging conversation.

In the episode, Doug talks to Andy Sheeter, founder of the Sheeter Group, specializing in supplemental executive retirement plans for credit union leaders across the country. Andy gives practical tips for working with your board toward a more competitive and satisfactory executive benefits package.

Listen to hear the full details.

In the kickoff episode, host Doug English welcomes Jim Gowan, former chief officer of sales and marketing at CUNA Mutual and former chief operating officer at Credit Union 24. In the episode, Doug and Jim introduce the show and discuss how it can help credit union executives retain top talent, meet members’ evolving needs, strategically balance personal finances and professional objectives, and more.

Listen now to hear Doug and Jim’s credit union backgrounds, upcoming topics, and how the industry has evolved and will continue to change.

In the final installment of Doug’s interview with Harry Gunsallus, they continue their conversation about the considerations credit union CEOs should take when pursuing a merger and acquisition (M&A). Harry shares the differences between a credit union merging with another credit union or purchasing a bank in the episode. With more than 20 years in the credit union and banking space, Harry has helped several credit union executives weigh their options to execute a successful merger or acquisition. If you’re considering an M&A, Harry’s insights are valuable in informing your decision. Listen to the full episode now.

What should a credit union executive consider before pursuing a merger and acquisition (M&A)? Credit union CEOs may consider M&As as an opportunity to balance financials and maintain growth. Still, there are important factors to evaluate before beginning the process of targeting a potential partner. Our guest, Harry Gunsallus, has spent more than 20 years in the financial services space, helping credit union leadership pursue and execute several M&As with banks and other credit unions.

In the first episode of this two-part interview, Harry shares the first steps credit union executives should take to help them achieve a successful M&A.