Kerry Parker

CEO, A+ Federal Credit Union, Austin, Texas

Twenty-five years ago I was chief financial officer (CFO) at Baton Rouge (La.) Federal Credit Union. I was looking for a place where I could collaborate with others.

The camaraderie and collaboration are the best parts of the council. It’s also a development tool when you’re trying to figure out the next step. What are the critical skills? How can you do better in your current role or get promoted? A big part of what we were trying to do was to have an impact on our industry.

Communication issues can be a derailer for finance leaders. If someone is focused solely on the numbers and can’t communicate to the executive committee, it won’t work. We need to have healthy conversations to make sure we’re doing the right things for our credit unions.