Member Spotlight: Jennifer Farrelly

CUNA HR/TD Council
July 6, 2009 | COMMENTS

Jennifer Farrelly is assistant vice president of organizational development for Xceed Financial Credit Union in El Segundo, California. Jennifer is SPHR-certified and received her bachelor's degree from California State University-Long Beach and her HR management certification from California State University-Fullerton.

After working for several years in the training department at SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, she spent a year in Sacramento helping two start-up companies establish their human resources division platforms. She is happy to be back in the credit union industry, overseeing the HR and training departments at Xceed Financial Credit Union.

Biggest challenge

The economy and how it is affecting us, the communities we serve, and our members.

Best advice

Don't be afraid to make mistakes as they are excellent opportunities for growth. And remember, everyone makes mistakes. It's about how you bounce back and rectify the mistake that counts!

Greatest benefit of Council membership

I absolutely love being able to network with my peers. The Council is an excellent way to gather information within the industry so that we can all serve our membership and our team members more effectively and continue to exceed their expectations, even in this tough economy.

Best part of my job

Making a difference in peoples' lives.

Hardest part of my job

Leaving at the end of the day! I absolutely love what I do, and I cherish the credit union industry, so the hardest part is allowing myself a work/life balance.

Success story

Being highly responsive and getting things right the first time is hugely important to members and team members. Being in a non-revenue generating department, we always have to think about our internal members and how we can best assist them and exceed their expectations without causing any kind of burden, financial or otherwise.

Biggest misconception about my job

That everyone in HR is mean and scary. I don't fly in on a broom. Usually, I just bring it to work to help clean things up!

Hobbies and interests

Tap dancing, singing, performing in community theater productions, attending the theater, reading, dogs, family, movies, music.

Life goal not yet achieved

Being a senior vice president.

If I had an extra hour in the day . . .

I'd spend it trying to make someone's life better.

Favorite quote

"We're gonna need a bigger boat."

If I could spend a day with anyone it would be . . .

Barack Obama. It would be fascinating to pick that man's brain.

How I would explain the credit union difference to a potential new member

I always talk to people about the fact that credit unions exist to help people, and that since it's similar to a co-op structure where account holders (aka members) are the owners, it ends up being about people helping other people. Credit unions are not greedy, as the traditional banks are, and the membership is truly valued. I am a very enthusiastic and passionate person, so by my enthusiasm for credit unions alone, people get interested.