To Marvel Ford, true leadership is defined by how one helps someone else realize his or her potential.

As a nod to the many mentors in her life who have helped her along the way, the senior vice president and risk management officer at California Credit Union has made it her mission to pay it forward. She said she believes every leader has a responsibility to be a good steward and positive influence on someone else's life. As someone who also holds a strong belief that most career limits are self-imposed, Ford said mediocrity is never an option.

“It's not enough to want to be a good employee. Try to be great, committed and accountable,” the latest Women to Watch honoree said. “Step up to explore doing different things. Mentors can be there to help push you out of your comfort zone, but you have to be self-motivated. You drive your success.”

Holding oneself accountable and surpassing goals, whether they're personal or professional, is not just talk for Ford but something that has been ingrained in her DNA. In 2009, while focusing on PAC fundraising and looking to ensure the relevancy of the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues' chapters, Ford realized the need for a paradigm shift in the aftermath of the burst housing bubble. As a chapter president, Ford turned to her president/CEO, Ron McDaniel, to devise a strategy for how to move forward with a league event – and the solution hinged on collaboration.

They decided the five Southern California chapters had to join forces for their annual PAC golf fundraiser. Of the five chapters, four ultimately agreed to do so. However, one declined, refusing to believe Ford could pull it off. But the collaborative event proved to be a success and raised $29,430.

Ford called the fifth chapter president to share the results, and the following year, all five teamed up, raising $39,525. Today, six chapters collaborate for the popular event, which has sold out sponsorships every year and raised $64,525 in 2015. The experience reinforced Ford's belief that more value can be delivered when resources and talent are pooled together.

The Southern California chapters' collaborative culture and goal of furthering credit union advocacy efforts hasn't gone unnoticed by the league. Ford has been recognized for her work on behalf of the PAC at the leagues' annual meeting. While she said she appreciates the accolades, she credited her team of 33 committee members and vendors for working tirelessly to create change and give back to the industry. She joked that even with her natural tendency to be bashful among strangers, she has always had great confidence, which served her well when she asked others to contribute and participate. It's now become natural for Ford to join any meeting or conversation where she thinks she can add value.

“I've never believed that it has been necessary for me to change who I am to 'fit in' a corporate environment,” she said. “Don't feel defeated by challenges or setbacks. As a young person, it took me a while to learn that when it came to questions of values and fairness, I was ready to contribute even though my technical skills were still developing.”

Growing up, she never had a specific career in mind other than wanting to make an impact in whatever it was she did. She worked for several banks and savings and loans in Southern California before joining the $1.4 billion credit union in Glendale, Calif. about 15 years ago. She started out as a branch manager, and later became the manager of the credit union's entire branch network, vice president of business development and strategic relationships, and finally the first risk management officer in the history of CCU. Her responsibilities include overseeing information security, vendor management, disaster recovery, compliance, collections and operational risks, and she said she wouldn't have it any other way.

“It's my nature to investigate, uncover hidden clues and solve puzzles,” she said. “Everyone has a role and enterprise risk management is where I'm suited and who I am. I love it and embrace it.”

The greatest weapons in any risk management arsenal are education, intuitive thinking and common sense, Ford advised. To be truly effective, responsibility must be shared, and every employee should feel empowered to be an investigator and pick up on subtle clues to help mitigate risks before they turn into losses, she said.

“I wish employees at every level would feel more confident relying on their common sense to raise questions when they first become suspicious of a threat,” she said. “Too many times, I've interviewed employees who told me that they had a hunch there was a problem, but they weren't confident enough to raise that hunch to someone who could help.”

With new technology improving not just member convenience but also the speed and magnitude of risk, vigilance is required during even the most routine tasks and interactions – but Ford noted it's not necessary to go overboard. For Ford, innovation means adapting to new opportunities and risks, and credit unions should be brutally honest when it comes to making risk and reward calculations during the adoption of new technologies and products.

“Sometimes we rush into things based on a much more thorough analysis of the potential benefits than the potential risks,” she said.

This approach has not stifled innovation and growth at CCU. According to the NCUA Sept. 30 Financial Performance Report Ratio Analysis, the credit union had a market share growth rate of 16.38 and loan growth rate of 22.14 compared to its peer average of 6.72 and 11.80, respectively.

She credited CCU's president/CEO for leading a culture shift focused on meeting members' needs. With its core, purpose-driven fundamentals serving as a filter, the credit union has been able to increase member convenience for everything from mobile deposits to loan applications to new account openings, delivering experiences on members' terms so there's never a need to step foot in a branch if they don't want to. In addition, this year CCU launched California Members Title Insurance Company, a new CUSO that offers a complete suite of title insurance, escrow and closing services to meet both residential and commercial property needs throughout California.