NextGen Leaders: Molly Gary

Molly Gary
Marketing Research Specialist | $4 billion Ent Federal Credit Union Colorado Springs, Colo.
Follow her on LinkedIn 
Watch Molly’s CUES Next Top Credit Union Exec video

Give us the elevator speech about your project (as in how would you describe your project to someone you meet in an elevator?):
I came back from the CUNA Governmental Affairs Conference in 2014 with so much knowledge and a new passion for our industry that I really wanted to share it with others. The more I thought about the issues affecting credit unions, the more I realized how unprepared the future leaders of my credit union were. With the help of senior leadership, we created our Young Political Advocates group to overcome this obstacle and make a difference at Ent, within our communities, and for other credit unions across the nation.

What is your long-term career goal?
I want to be doing something I love with a company I love. I have always enjoyed learning new things, so I’m open to various career paths. I can easily see myself celebrating 14 years with Ent in 2025!

Fill in the dots: The future of credit unions will be bright if ...
… we continue to stay true to our motto: People helping people. This means that we must engage in our communities, develop our young leaders, be innovative and support our fellow cooperatives. We are in this together.

What my generation brings to the credit union movement is …
… disruption and passion. We think outside the box. We challenge the status quo. I have heard people describe credit unions as boring or too traditional. After a couple of conferences with other young professionals, I can tell you, we are NOT boring. We are mindful of traditions, but we also come up with creative ways to fuse tradition with innovation. The passion we bring stirs up the credit union fires we all have inside us. Every time I talk with another young professional, I get really excited about what we can and will do.

Online voters and a panel of past finalists narrowed the CUES Next Top Credit Union Exec field from 20 to the Top 15 applicants. The challenge, held in conjunction with DDJ Myers and administered by Currency, searches for emerging leaders age 35 and under from within the credit union industry.

The Top 15 will blog about their project. And to provide additional value to the competition experience, they’ll each receive an executive coaching session from DDJ Myers, a CUES Supplier member and strategic provider. A judging panel of two CUES members and Deedee Myers of DDJ Myers will then score the Top 15’s applications and blog posts, narrowing the competition to five finalists.

The five finalists will receive additional coaching, airfare, accommodation and registration to CUES’ CEO/Executive Team Network™, Nov. 8-11 in Scottsdale, Ariz., where they will give their final presentations. The 2015 CUES Next Top Credit Union Exec will receive further coaching, airfare, accommodation and registration for two CUES’ CEO Institutes, a total prize package valued at $20,000.

People consider me a leader because …
… I’m passionate and love to see people succeed. I know I can become (maybe) a bit too excited about things, but my enthusiasm rubs off on others. I truly believe we all have something of value to add, and I love finding that within each person.

Who is your hero and why?
My mom is my hero. She is strong: No matter what struggles she has faced, she always pushed through. She is selfless: She raised two girls on her own for years with only our happiness in mind. She is funny: No one makes me laugh like a dork like this woman. She is inspiring: If she can get through anything, so can I. She is supportive: She has always been my No. 1 fan.

Who is a must-follow on Twitter?
Jim Nussle – He is our new champion and I am very excited to see what he does!
Ent FCU – Because I love my credit union!

Does your credit union have Twitter/Facebook/YouTube/Pinterest/LinkedIn/Instagram other social media accounts? Please provide links:
Facebook  
LinkedIn  
Twitter  
YouTube 

What is your favorite CUES member benefit? Or, if you are a new CUES NextGen member, what benefit are you most looking forward to using?
I am really looking forward to Credit Union Management! I know about the issues affecting my credit union and Colorado, but I am interested in hearing more about what our industry and other credit unions are facing. The solutions we create for ourselves could help others in the same situations.

CUES Next Top Credit Union Exec team