Women Taking the lead at Credit Unions Continued from page 13
it’s just as likely now to see women serving in managerial positions. “I think that we are seeing a shift from male CEOs to women CEOs just because of the era we’re in,” said Pereira, adding that a significant percentage of CEOs retiring are men and that there are more women than men in the workplace today. “The thing I remember most is that even from my very first position, I was always looking at the next step and believed I could
do that,” said Duffy. “It takes self-confidence to be a leader.” While women are rising in the ranks at credit unions, it tends to be more common in smaller institutions than larger ones. “Women are not in the top position unless it’s in small credit unions,” Caristi said. “My credit union is different … and locally I’m the only female CEO. Women tend to be at smaller organizations and if they can execute growth, then they end up in
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14 | centerpoint | fall.2012
higher positions.” Duffy agrees. “From my perspective, credit unions have done a good job of moving forward, of encouraging women.” “There’s still progress to be made,” she said, including increasing the number of women on boards and developing women as leaders of larger credit unions, in addition to those serving at mid-level and smaller sized institutions. But for those women who have risen to the top, they say it may have been a challenging process, but they wouldn’t change a thing about how they got there. “All the roadblocks that came my way have helped me in some way become a better leader,” Pereira said. “Learning the hard way has led me to better judgment.” “I wouldn’t change anything about how I got here,” Ford said. “I like the fact that I came through the ranks. It gives me a higher level of respect in the company.”
THE NEXT GENERATION, AND THE NEXT STEPS
These female leaders want other women to follow in their footsteps. Some, like Duffy, have a daughter who entered the credit union industry, others have mentored women who have ascended to managerial positions. Guiney’s favorite example applies to a “girl we brought in through a school-towork program who had big brown eyes and bangs.” She worked with AllCom through high school and college part-time, and is now a vice president with the credit union. Even though all of these women have reached what many would consider to be the top of their careers, there’s still more they want to achieve. None of them have plans for early retirement. Pereira wants to make a “significant impact on financial literacy,” teaching young adults what it means to be financially responsible. Guiney would like to work with veterans and open a Dunkin’ Donuts one day. Ford, among many of the women, is focusing on strengthening her credit union in the current economic environment. Duffy is expanding her role by serving on nonprofit boards. “I don’t want to sit back and rest on the good things we’ve done to this point,” said Hutchinson. “I still have that motivation and don’t think I’ve stopped learning.” •