Brandon Michaels became president/CEO of Mazuma Credit Union in Overland Park, Kan., at age 31, following in the footsteps of his mother and grandmother.
Both his mother, who is nearing retirement, and his grandmother, who has since passed, served as credit union CEOs at different credit unions.
Although Michaels grew up around credit unions, he didn’t see it as a career path.
“I thought credit unions were the most boring thing in the world,” he tells the CUNA News Podcast. "I grew up hanging out at my grandma's credit union. She'd asked me to file loan paperwork and look on the microfiche for stuff. I'm like, ‘Good Lord. Who would ever do this for a living?' "
It turns out Michaels would. But his office is nowhere near boring, he notes.
Since taking the top job at Mazuma, Michaels has overseen the building of an exciting new headquarters and has focused on developing an equally exciting workplace culture.
“We rollerskate down the hall or you'll hear my chief lending officer playing guitar in his office," Michaels says of the culture and fun Mazuma brings to the office.
In addition to talking about culture, Michaels reflects on his time as a bank examiner and the current regulatory environment.
Credit Union Magazine’s Summer 2023 issue highlights the lending outlook for the rest of the year, how credit unions leverage fintech companies to boost digital lending, the power of lending partnerships, common Bank Secrecy Act violations, and the shift board members must make when becoming chair.
