Former Teacher & Current 'Coach' Shares Her Journey to CU Leadership

Name: Karen Yee

Credit union: Naveo Credit Union ($175 million, Somerville, Mass.)

Title: Chief Lending Officer

Age: 50

Number of years at current credit union: Three months

Educational background: BA in Economics from the University of Massachusetts; MBA from Northeastern University; Project Management Certificate from Boston University; Certificate in Human Resources Management from Quincy College

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

Yee: I oversee residential, consumer and commercial lending; asset quality; provisioning; lending product development; credit risk management and business development.

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

Yee: Since 2012 I have been a credit union member. Increasingly I found traditional banks did not offer the service I needed as a customer, and eventually, that traditional banks were no longer in line with my personal and professional goals.

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

Yee: I taught economics at a community college for 12 years. Having worked with non-traditional learners, I’m very focused on accessibility and inclusivity, which aligns well with the credit union mission of “people helping people.”

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

Yee: My husband, Patrick. He always supported my choices and has been a great partner for the past 30 years.

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

Yee: Board interactions were much different than I anticipated. The board is responsible for oversight rather than management. It took me some time to differentiate between the two.

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

Yee: I found the credit union environment very friendly and welcoming, which differed greatly from traditional banking. I’m pleasantly surprised on a daily basis about the level of cooperation.

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

Yee: I’m a coach. I want my colleagues to feel supported, valued and that’s it’s OK to not have a solution to every problem. I like to give space for folks to test ideas and grow.

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

Yee: When developing new products, I focus more on the delivery channel and information security. The pandemic resulted in greater technology use as well as greater opportunities for bad actors.

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

Yee: My current career goals are focused on growing the credit union and maintaining strong asset quality.

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

Yee: I’d like to enhance our small business offerings to increase membership and financing for our community.

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

Yee: Be your No. 1 cheerleader. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will.

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.