My Journey to Credit Union Leadership: Kenny Cooper of Neighborhood CU

Editor’s note: For this new, weekly Q&A series, CU Times is asking executives who are new to their credit union’s senior-level leadership teams to share details about their professional evolution. If you or someone you know would like to share your journey to credit union leadership, please reach out to Natasha Chilingerian at nchilingerian@cutimes.com. To qualify, you must have been placed or promoted into a new senior-level leadership role within the last three years at a credit union. 

Name: Kenny Cooper

Credit union: Neighborhood Credit Union ($1.1 billion, Dallas, Texas)

Title: SVP, Lending & Collections

Age: 51

Number of years at current credit union: Nearly 10 years

Educational background: Bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership, psychology and business from Texas A&M University-Commerce; received training at Southwest CUNA Management School

CU Times: What are your key responsibilities in your current role?

Cooper: My key responsibilities include all aspects of consumer lending, indirect lending, mortgage lending and collection. On top of that, I research, develop and implement effective lending and collections practices to maximize performance. I also establish and maintain professional business relationships with customers, vendors and our business community. And of course, any additional duties that come up to assist other team members at Neighborhood Credit Union.

CU Times: What drew you to the credit union industry?

Cooper: I started my career in the banking industry during college and quickly began climbing the corporate ladder. A friend’s dad was a board member at Resource One Credit Union [$811 million, Dallas], and I was offered a sales position in 1996. I immediately noticed the differences between credit unions and banks. I really appreciated that credit unions focus on their members (“people helping people”). I worked my way up to vice president of lending and collections by the end of my 13-year tenure at Resource One. Following this, I joined City Credit Union [$622 million, Dallas], working as the director of lending and sales until I joined Neighborhood in 2013. I started out as a lending manager but was quickly promoted to vice president of lending in 2015, and to SVP of lending in 2022.

CU Times: What unique skills, experience and attributes do you bring to the leadership team?

Cooper: My passion for helping people and contributing to the mission of a credit union is my biggest attribute. Other strengths include analytics, strategic planning, decision making, adaptability, leader development, collaboration and conflict management, to name a few.

CU Times: Which person (or people) do you credit the most for helping and supporting you along your career journey?

Cooper: There are so many people and organizations to credit for helping and supporting me throughout my career. From current and prior coworkers at all levels, members/customers, partner companies, SCMS faculty and classmates, college friends, my family, my church … the list goes on. I was fortunate to have had one mentor throughout most of my credit union career who was a consistent supporter, leader and friend, and that was Mike Roark [former lending manager and executive for Resource One and Neighborhood Credit Unions].

CU Times: What are some of the biggest differences between working in your current executive level role and your previous, non-executive roles?

Cooper: It boils down to how I spend my time. I held a vice president position for many years where I was very tactical and in the day-to-day work. Now, I need to focus on strategy and what will move the needle for the company and the industry – looking at things from a broader level.

CU Times: What’s a challenge you faced when you first joined your executive team, and how did you overcome it?

Cooper: I’ve been in my current position for less than a year, so my biggest challenge was letting go of my previous responsibilities. It was a quick change without a major transition period. It took a little while for me to fully delegate certain tactical responsibilities so I could focus on strategic responsibilities.

CU Times: How would you describe your current leadership style?

Cooper: It varies each day. I have always classified myself as a servant leader, but recently I have been more of a coaching and visionary leader. I also use a laissez-faire style at times to encourage creative thinking and to build confidence and trust in my leaders.

CU Times: Do you approach your job any differently now compared to how you did pre-pandemic? If yes, how so?

Cooper: We were lucky to offer our services remotely prior to the pandemic, so for us our jobs didn’t change too much. However, it did teach us to be flexible and reinforced the importance of easy access to our members. For us to be successful, we must remain high touch with our members and leverage technology that delivers the services they have come to expect.

CU Times: What’s next for you on your executive career journey? Do you have any specific career goals you’re working toward?

Cooper: I want to be the most impactful leader in the credit union industry, and that starts by staying on top of the latest news and trends, and further educating myself. My goal is to obtain my master’s degree in business analytics, which I will be pursuing this year.

CU Times: What big-picture impact do you hope to make within your credit union, as well as for your members and community?

Cooper: At Neighborhood, we are in the business of helping people achieve their short- and long-term financial goals for their families as well as helping them live a life of financial freedom. It is important to never lose sight of what credit unions are and why we are here. That is the biggest impact I could ever make. Through the constant changes in technology and faster service expectations, always remember “people helping people” will make the biggest impact on this world.

CU Times: What career advice would you give your younger self?

Cooper: Be present at every moment. Embrace every challenge. Don’t let anyone other than God decide who you are. And, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer (Romans 12:12).”