"He interviewed me and said he could ofer me an opportunity to work directly for him. He would be willing to teach me about credit unions but given my inexperience, an entry level fraud investigator at $9 an hour was the only position he could offer me," the latest Trailblazer 40 Below said. 

It wasn't quite how he expected the conversation would go. After talking it over with his father and his wife, he decided to take a chance and make the most of the unique opportunity. 

That was in 2003. By 2008, at the age of 30, Tarwasokono went from $9/hour to being named president/CEO of the now $428 million credit union.

"What I've learned is that who you work for is far more important than what you make. I'm here because I've been blessed with great mentors in both my personal and professional life," he said. "I'm proof that if you are willing to listen, learn, put hard work in, take feedback to heart and always strive for constant improvement, the rest will fall into place."

He added that great mentors, like Knoff and Pima Federal Board Chairman James Kisner, will "tell it like it is", challenging mentees to grow and develop their own strengths regardless of where that may lead. In 2005, Tarwasokono left Pima Federal for family reasons and moved to North Carolina, where he worked at Wachovia Bank in Charlotte for two years. Although grateful for the experience and perspective the bank offered, he missed the credit union difference. Fate stepped in again with a vice president position opening at Pima Federal with the potential to lead the organization. He and his family returned "home" and the rest was history.

That belief that Knoff and the board had in him has been something that Tarwasokono has continued to pay forward. Staff development and empowerment has been the foundation of the credit union's culture. He has an open door policy where transparency and trust has been key. Recognizing the value in every employee, he has engaged in meaningful ways that build loyalty, from a CEO blog to voluntarily placing himself in the hot seat with coffee events, where a rotating group of employees from across the organization can ask the CEO about anything. He has taken his responsibility to develop the next group of credit union leaders seriously.

The credit union has been striving to be one of the Best Place to Work and a recent employee engagement satisfaction survey revealed 96% of staffers enjoy what they do.

"People want to contribute, be involved and know the 'why' behind decisions. They gravitate toward organizations that care about them as people," he said. "Mr. Knoff saw something in me, who at the time was this introverted person just trying to support his family to the best of his ability, and he took a chance on me. I have tried to do the same by taking chances on others."

Driven by a genuine need to help others succeed, he has focused efforts to discover and nurture top talent, building a team "of smart people who really care about others." His gift has been his ability to see the diamond in the rough. While experience matters, finding the right culture mix has made the difference at Pima Federal.

"One of the most rewarding aspects of my job is helping people find thier passion or what they were born to do. Once they're in the best position for success, I know they will accomplish great things," he said. "I'm not afraid to tell others I shouldn't be where I'm at today. I share my story as a way to inspire others to believe in themselves and that they can achieve so much more than they ever thought possible."

To the many young professionals simply looking to be given a chance, his advice is to keep working hard, have patience and be open to new experiences.

"Let your work do the speaking. Embrace change, never stop learning,never give up and always remain humble," he said. "It's okay if your idea is rejected. Don't take it personally. Learn from it. Keep volunteering to help out whereever you are needed, looking for ways to improve the organization and doing the best you can. It's not being overlooked. Someone is always paying attention."

For the past six years there have been quite a few changes at the credit union. Under his leadership, Pima Federal has undergone a successful merger, a full technology update including core processor and phone systems, a rebrand, and centralization of lending followed by three years of record loan growth.

The credit union has also won numerous awards for its community outreach program developed in 2011 where staffers have been given up to four hours a quarter of paid time off to volunteer. In the first three years, staffers have volunteered over 5,000 hours in the community. Over the years, employee efforts have resulted in everything from providing financial education classes to over 2,500 students, to raising a total of $120,000 within the first two years of the Pima Federal Golf Classic for Tucson Values Teachers, which provides much needed supplies to area schools. Not a fan of the term innovation, Tarwasokono would rather the credit union continue to remain focused on delivering services that resonate with members.

"We as an industry need to remain relevant based on what's important to our members and how they want to be served," he said. "I think words like innovative or cutting edge overcomplicate just being relevant."

There has never been a better time for the industry as a whole to do a better job of collaborating to gain greater market share.

"Credit unions are still a small fish in a big pond. There are a lot of challenges and opportunities ahead, just look at the payments arena," he said. "We need CEOs and other leaders to step up, get together and be willing to have some tough discussions to find actionable ways we can be a more united front."