Credit Union SVP Jason Wolkove 'Listens to Those Nearest to the Product'

Name: Jason Wolkove

Credit union: Premier America Credit Union ($3.5 billion, Chatsworth, Calif.)

Title: SVP, Chief Technology Officer

Number of years at current credit union: Four months

Educational background: Bachelor of Arts in Sociology; Web Developer Diploma; ITIL v3 Certified; ScrumMaster Certified

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

Wolkove: I have been in the financial industry for most of my career, but I always felt like my purpose wasn’t being fulfilled. In 2019, I co-founded a charity, which highlighted for me that the giving back part of my life was what seemed to be missing. Additionally, the credit union space fits my skillset and background, but more importantly, my desire to give back.

CU Times: What unique skills, experience and attributes do you bring to your role?

Wolkove: With my range of experiences, it all comes down to belief in empowering the people on the team. Technology should support and enhance the experience of both team members and members. In fact, technology should work so much that you don’t even know it’s there. My job is to create the environment where that is reality.

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

Wolkove: I would say there were four people that I thought about immediately:

Craig Wicket: A Vice President in my first corporate IT role many moons ago who said to me on my first day in the office: ‘The worst decision you can make as a leader is “no decision”, be steadfast in your decisions and don’t be afraid to fail and then fix forward.’ (He may never know the impact he had from my first day until now.)

Richard Lawrence: Looking back at the last 20-plus years, I can say that no one person had more influence on the type of leader I am than Richard. I guess the saying hindsight is 20/20 truly applies here as I didn’t see how much of an impact he had until many years after and could reflect that his expectation of me, whether it be the level of expertise, due diligence or attention to detailed communication, was to prepare for the roles I achieved as my career progressed. I wish I could have said thank you much earlier.

Susie Lecker: I have been fortunate to have Susie as a mentor to bounce ideas off throughout my entire career, as she was an executive leader early on and was able to share her experiences and tie them back to whatever situation I was in at the time.

Madeline Wolkove (a.k.a. my wife): She afforded me the luxury of time early on in my career when I had the 70-hour weeks and weekends, year after year, the travel and being in IT, and I always have my phone on in case something happens.

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

Wolkove: Each role in any organization – including Premier America – is just a different lens. Whether it is just an entry-level job or this one, throughout my career I have been lucky to always be able to have impact, and I try to create an environment where that is the case. The biggest difference now as the division leader is to ensure that as we set the vision and strategy, I listen to those nearest to the product. They know best and are the experts.

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

Wolkove: As with beginning every new chapter in the workforce, the biggest challenge remains to be learning about the culture and the team. Who has what skills, knowledge and ambition to act as ‘change agents’ for the vision? The example I tend to lean on is that a new leader must learn to re-fuel the plane while still cruising smoothly at 35,000 feet.

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

Wolkove: I continue to strive for improvements in my leadership style, however my default is as a passionate, servant leader, striving to provide empowerment through accountability. I have learned over the years that you cannot lead everyone the same, so learning what works best is critical.

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

Wolkove: In full transparency, the effect of the pandemic and how I work today is still a work in progress, and I feel very strongly about the culture of my team and organization when we are together in person. One of the great things that came from the pandemic is the ability to work anywhere, anytime. However, the unintended consequence is a loss of familiarity with team members, the organic hallway conversations and ability to create a cohesive culture when team members are remote. I will continue to grow and find ways to create inclusivity as we navigate the post-pandemic work environment.

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

Wolkove: My hope is to make Premier America known as the easiest financial institution to do banking with across any channel as well as a workplace that people strive to join.

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

Wolkove: Wow, I love that question! I would say that I am fortunate to have a general life principle of ‘glass half-full’ so I look at all my experiences, whether in my personal or work life, as opportunities to either learn what works or learn what doesn’t. It seems that all those experiences that didn’t work were more beneficial to shaping my next decisions than the times when things went great. I guess the lesson is to be thankful for all things that come your way and know that you survive the bad ones every time.

Would you or someone you know like to share your journey to credit union leadership? Please reach out to Natasha Chilingerian at nchilingerian@cutimes.com. To qualify, the individual must be a part of a credit union’s leadership team or C-suite, and have a compelling story to share about their rise to their current leadership role.