In this episode of The Eltropy Exchange, host Michael Pupil sits down with Michelle Perry, Assistant Vice President of Consumer Lending at ABNB Federal Credit Union, to talk about building strong, resilient teams in lending and collections, navigating change, and leading with empathy.
With over 35 years in credit unions, Michelle brings a rare combination of operational insight and human-first leadership. She shares how she’s earned trust by working alongside her teams, why culture starts with care, and how a few pranks can signal you’ve truly been accepted. Her approach to leadership is grounded in honesty, flexibility, and letting people show up as themselves.
Michelle also discusses how she introduces technology to a multigenerational team, what she looks for when making workflows smarter, and why automation should make work more human, not less. From shifting communication strategies to rolling out texting, chat, and screen simplification, Michelle shows how innovation is best led from within.
Whether you’re leading a team or just trying to connect better with yours, this episode offers practical, candid insight into what strong leadership really looks like inside a credit union.