Alumni Stories

INVESTIGATING THE TRUTH

Theresa Nibblett, Class of 1984 and member of the TU Alumni Association Board, had a long history of working as a special agent for the U.S. Customs Investigations Office. Her experience as a special agent was rewarding, exciting and sometimes dangerous. Whether she was along the southwestern border of Arizona conducting surveillance in the desert or working in an investigative field office in Washington D.C., Nibblett was always investigating the truth.

To Nibblett, nothing else mattered but the facts. Her knack for investigating and finding the truth led her to be selected for a Customs Assistant Attaché position in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1999. While she was there looking into the use of forced labor, she was tasked with investigating allegations made by a CBS “60 Minutes II” segment.

The “60 Minutes II” story began with the health concern of young people in the U.S. smoking flavored cigarettes called bidi. Then, it took a turn. The show claimed that children in India were used to hand roll bidis. For decades, it has been illegal to import goods into the U.S. made by forced labor. Considerable media attention focused on bidi when this “60 Minutes II” aired, and Nibblett was sent to India to further investigate.

“We went to the villages and sat in their houses on dirt floors,” said Nibblett. From what was aired on television, Nibblett should have found children working six days a week for nine to 30 cents a day in small villages. Instead, what they found was a common practice in the “cottage industry” business. Women sat with their children voluntarily making bidi cigarettes. After visiting India three times to investigate, Nibblett concluded that there was no case.

“There’s always more to a story,” she said. “When you are taking sanction actions against companies, you cannot base it on someone’s hearsay. It has to be investigated. In some countries, you have to consider that these children only go to school until the age of 13 or 14 and are then considered adults. Since they are at home, parents have them work and help earn money.”

Nibblett also recalled a similar encounter when the U.S. Customs Service was pressured to place a ban on imports from a textile factory in Cambodia that employed 1,000 people. There were allegations of underage youth forced into labor. After investigating, Nibblett found only two young people who were underage but had documents issued by their village elders attesting to their age.

“You cannot expect other countries to share our values, or their cultures to operate the same as ours, but we can encourage it,” she said. “We can educate others on the proper use of labor. It’s not right to shut down a business by banning exports to the U.S. which will put whole villages out of work, based on hearsay or incomplete information.”

No matter what challenges were thrown her way, Nibblett enjoyed her work. “There was never a dull moment. Sometimes it was fun, other times it wasn’t, and often it was a lot of hard work, but it was a great career. I think back on all the stuff we did and all the places I have been. It was well worth it and rewarding.”

Now retired from the federal government after 37 years, Nibblett does not plan to settle down. Her acute case of the travel bug has her itching to continue exploring the world. She hopes to travel back to Asia and explore a few countries she did not get to spend much time in.

RAISING THE BARR

Life’s not a competition – but if it were, TU alumnus Michael Barr would be winning. The accomplishments he has amassed over the years are truly extraordinary.

Through his first professional position, Barr was already taking a giant step toward his future – even if he didn’t know it yet. He trusted in his career path, took a leap of faith and became a CEO before the age of 30.

Barr began working as a part-time teller at Commodore Perry Federal Credit Union while attending college. He found a passion in providing financial opportunities to the community and decided to make working at the credit union a career. Barr became a full-time employee and transferred to Tiffin University’s online program to better accommodate his new work schedule as a loan officer. From there, his potential only grew.

“When I was 23 years old, I was offered the opportunity to lead Commodore Perry Federal Credit Union upon the retirement of its existing CEO,” said Barr. “It was an amazing offer that I couldn’t refuse, but it was a significant challenge to overcome.”

Although he had worked in every area of the credit union’s operations, Barr only had five years’ experience. But he didn’t let that stop him from pursuing his goal. “I acknowledged my weaknesses and committed to overcoming any lack of knowledge or experience through additional learning, networking and mentoring.”

Barr took the bull by the horn and ran with it. Twelve years later, the company has grown by 300%, became an award-winning Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and was recognized as one of the strongest small credit unions in the state of Ohio. In 2020, Commodore Perry Federal Credit Union was named Credit Union of the Year by the National Association of Federally Chartered Credit Unions (NAFCU).

Receiving awards and recognitions is a great honor, but Barr finds a sense of pride through his employees and clients. “My greatest satisfaction is seeing other people succeed, whether it is my team who experience professional success or members who achieve financial success.”

As President and CEO, his primary focus is leadership. This includes working with the Board of Directors, setting and implementing strategies, creating and sustaining a vision, representing the organization within the community and ensuring that his teams are empowered to thrive.

“As a leader, you need to find internal motivation and gratitude. My motivation is re-energized when my team shares their optimism and appreciation. It means a lot when a team member thanks me for hiring them and sharing that it has been their best year working with us.”

Barr believes that anyone can overcome challenges and pursue their goals. He advises the key to success is to never stop learning. “The formal education we receive from college is a wonderful foundation, but we must commit ourselves to continual learning, both in our area of expertise and in personal growth.”

The sky’s the limit, and although Barr has already accomplished a significant milestone in his life by becoming a young CEO, he knows there is more to achieve.

Michael Barr graduated from Tiffin University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 2007 and a Master of Business Administration in 2014. He remains active with the University as a member of TU’s Board of Counselors. Michael resides in Elmore, Ohio, with his wife Carrie, who currently attends Tiffin University, and his children.