Member Spotlight: Andrea Gregor

Mark Crawford, CUNA Councils
July 31, 2006

Andrea Gregor is vice president of human resources for Achieva Credit Union in Largo, Florida. Achieva currently has $525 million in assets, 58,600 members, seven branches, and 205 employees.

Andrea came to Florida as a ten-year-old, after having moved fifteen previous times. After a career in the optical industry, working in both operations and human resources, she became a trainer at Achieva Credit Union (then Pinellas County Teacher’s Credit Union) in 1997. She has earned both a PHR and an SPHR designation from the HRCI.

After being highly impressed by an annual conference she attended, Andrea joined the CUNA HR/TD Council since 2002.

Biggest challenge for 2006

Continuing the message to staff we began in 2004 when we changed our name: trust yourself, your training, your common sense, and do the right thing for the member. We have made good progress, but it really does take constant communication to staff that we trust them to make good decisions.

Best piece of HR advice

Know your stuff, your people, your members, and your board; then be prepared to have it all change!

Greatest benefit from being a member of the Council

I find the annual HR/TD Council Conference to be a huge benefit and a great opportunity to network and learn I’ve made some great friends, good connections, and been exposed to top-notch speakers at the summit.

Best part of my job

Being a strategic partner in a growing organization that is contributing to our membership, the community, and our employee’s development in really meaningful ways.

Hardest part of my job

Balancing. We do everything from executive compensation to selecting corporate logo-wear. Never a dull moment!

Best HR success story

I’d love to have a big-picture answer but it will have to be a smaller one. I believe my greatest success has been the results that I see by simply treating people with respect, honesty, and dignity. We are struggling less with recruitment than others, have higher retention and more internal promotions than some of our peers. I once had to terminate someone for gross misconduct and she actually came back the next day and thanked me for how she was treated in the process.

Hobbies/interests

Shopping of course, golf, writing essays, reading, and playing with my Jack Russell Terrier.

People would be surprised to learn that I . . .

Recently completed a 15K after spending my entire adult life as a couch potato.

Most recent book

Simon Says . . . Dream by Simon T. Bailey – he gives us permission to escape from our desks and ignite our passions.

Life goal not yet accomplished

I’m searching for a way to combine what I love with a paycheck. So if there are any jobs that involve shopping, writing, golf, and making smart remarks that pay well, someone let me know! Seriously, I want to live up to my potential and be thrilled by doing so.

Something that always makes me laugh

My husband! He has the driest sense of humor but still has the ability to crack me up.

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

I’d either go for a run or take a nap. Choices, choices . . .