Meet Jeanne Kucey | Credit Union President & CEO

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jeanne Kucey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jeanne, how does your business help the community?
Our sole focus is to lead our members down the path to prosperity by improving their overall financial knowledge, options, and condition. Our credit union is member owned, which means we return extra earnings to members, not corporate stockholders. JetStream is CDFI Certified, low Income Designated, MDI Designated, and Juntos Avanzamos Designated. We remain committed to reaching out to underserved communities and assisting those who have limited access to financial products and services.

I answered several of the questions, please select from below:

Risk taking: how do you think about risk, what role has taking risks played in your life/career?

I’m a believer that taking great risks often leads to great rewards. Changing companies and changing geographies have been key to my success. I made the move from Banking to Credit Unions early on in my career and have moved from my hometown in Southern California, to Atlanta, Georgia and then on to the Miami area. While I’m definitely a risk taker, at the same time, I do my homework and understand the importance of planning, implementation, and follow through.

If you are a parent, what do you think is the most important thing you’ve done as a parent in terms of the impact on your children?

Teaching them to be respectful of all races, cultures, and religions. Showing them that diversity is something to celebrate. Encouraging a curiosity in learning about people, places, and traditions. Practicing tolerance and acceptance.

What is the most important factor behind your success / the success of your brand?

I have to give credit to the JetStream Team! The multicultural environment in which JetStream operates is truly unique. We have branches in both Miami Dade County and Puerto Rico. Our team members are comprised of many different nationalities; most are bi-lingual and several speak three languages or more. Mutual respect is at the heart of our harmonious workplace. Showing those around you that you respect them enough to learn who they are and what they have to contribute as individual human beings is the key to building healthy relationships that leverage diversity, promote teamwork, and make it a pleasure to come into work each day.

How to know whether to keep going or to give up?

ALWAYS keep going, giving up is not in my mindset!

Work life balance: how has your balance changed over time? How do you think about the balance?

Work-life balance is an essential component of a positive, healthy, team oriented work environment. A work-life balance helps reduce stress, prevent burnout, and increase employee retention. By creating a work environment that prioritizes work-life balance, employers can save money and maintain a more loyal and productive workforce. In the last few years though, the responsibility to create a work life balance seems to have shifted entirely to the employer. I feel that achieving a work life balance should be a partnership. Work life balance should not be a one-way street, employees must cultivate a give-and-take mentality rather than expecting leniency to come from the top down only. To be fair, employees need to reciprocate with increased productivity, engagement and loyalty.

What makes you happy? Why?

At work, it’s “Progress” There is nothing more exciting than progress. Like most credit unions, we have a lean management structure, wear many hats and put in long hours. We are very fortunate, however, to have so much to show for our efforts. We’ve seen significant improvement in every measurable area of the credit union’s performance.

At home, it’s spending quality time with family, friends, and our two dogs.

How do you define success?

To me, success is achieved when your personal relationships, health, career, and financial situation provide you with a sense of peace, pride, and fulfillment. A place where you wake up each morning with the goal of self-improvement, the desire to contribute to the success of others, and possess the financial stability and good health to enjoy all that life has to offer.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have had the privilege to serve as President CEO of JetStream Federal Credit Union for the last 13 years. JetStream is a Miami Lakes based CDFI, MDI, and low income credit union that serves Miami-Dade county as well as three counties in Puerto Rico. Prior to my current position, I served as CEO of Retail Employees Credit Union and Vice President at Credit Union of Atlanta both in Atlanta, Georgia. I am a Southern California native and graduated with a BS degree in Financial Management from California State University, Long Beach. The bulk of my early career was spent at San Diego County Credit Union where I served as Vice President. My management level experience includes both banks and credit unions, institutions large and small, and I have held senior management positions on both coasts.

I have a strong record of community involvement including active participation in chambers of commerce and non-profit boards. I’m a Community Development Certified Financial Counselor and recently received a Credit Union CDFI Practitioner certificate from the University of New Hampshire. Embracing the important role that credit unions play in advancing the financial success of our members has been a powerful guiding force.

I love being part of the JetStream team. The multicultural environment in which JetStream operates is truly unique. We have branches in both Miami Dade County and Puerto Rico. Our team members are comprised of many different nationalities; most are bi-lingual and several speak three languages or more. Mutual respect is at the heart of our harmonious workplace. Showing those around you that you respect them enough to learn who they are and what they have to contribute as individual human beings is the key to building healthy relationships that leverage diversity, promote teamwork, and make it a pleasure to come into work each day.

These are along the lines of lessons but were at one point a challenge/obstacle:

My parents were both educators and well-versed with respect to history, literature, art, politics, travel, and science. Every room of our home, and our garage, was lined with bookshelves from floor to ceiling. What my parents didn’t know much about or understand fully were their own finances. I saw this hurt them time again as they fell for investment scams, made unwise purchases, and tried to bridge the summer months with no paycheck coming in. My Dad eventually started taking odd jobs over the summer to shore up the budget, which included teaching summer school, and leading Disneyland’s Jungle Boat tour into dangerous hippopotamus infested waters. Money was always tight and often the source of bitter arguments.

I wanted to avoid these pitfalls and manage my finances in a responsible manner. I started working and earning my own money at a young age. This eventually led to an overall interest in the finance field, economics, investments, and the stock market. I decided to major in financial management and entered a management trainee program with a local bank when I graduated from college.

Here are some of the key lessons that I have learned on my own journey to financial fitness:

· Develop an emergency plan and build an emergency fund. Don’t call Mom when you run out of money. Calling Mom is not a plan, it’s a pain, especially for Mom! Set a savings goal, set up automatic transfers, save your income tax refund and other unexpected windfalls, save your change in a jar to deposit periodically, and increase your savings as you start to earn more.

· Share what you know as you learn it. Adopt a mentoring attitude early on. When you teach someone else what you have learned about financial literacy, the knowledge is solidified and will stay with you longer and remain top of mind.

· Stay active, healthy, and keep learning! Taking care of your health should always be your top priority, no matter what. Staying healthy improves the quality of your life and can also significantly decrease required medical expenses, lower healthcare premiums, increase your effectiveness at work, and allow you to continue working as you age. Lifelong learning is good for your health, career, and your savings account.

· Take a “what’s in it for me” approach and learn what will help you to improve your financial position. Learn how to increase your credit score, avoid mistakes that can lower your score, and regularly monitor your credit score. Make a budget and stick to it, live within your means. Learn about retirement planning and start saving for retirement early on. Max out your 401k and take full advantage of employer matches.

· Always shop around for financial products – It’s important to shop around and make sure that you get the best pricing and terms for insurance services and loan products.

While there have been a couple of hiccups over the last thirty-five years, I’ve enjoyed a steady career with continuous advancement. I’m lucky to be in a collaborative industry where CEOs help each other more than they compete with each other. I regularly pick up the phone and call one of my peers to brainstorm, bring in business, ask for copies of policies, or see what new initiatives they may be undertaking. Of course, this works both ways, I always make myself available to assist other credit union CEOs in return, particularly those that are looking to become CDFI certified.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
That trip would include a scenic drive down to Key West, lodging at either The Gardens Hotel or the Marquesa Hotel and dining out at Blue Heaven, Louie’s Backyard, Firefly, Marquesa, Sara Beth’s, The Thirsty Mermaid, and A&B Lobster House. I’d also throw in a Danger Charters kayaking and snorkeling adventure to burn off some of the calories.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The majority of credit union CEOs started out in the banking industry and I’m no exception. I was in banking for about six years when a friend called me up regarding an opportunity at a local credit union. She had made the move to the credit union industry and thought that it would be a great fit for me as well. I’ve happily worked within the credit union world ever since! Several years later both my friend and I made it to the CEO level. She is a valued member of my network, we have served together on non-profit boards, and I greatly value her opinion and advice.

Website: https://www.jetstreamfcu.org/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanne–kucey–7a7aa5146