This is the third of four profiles of CUNA Compliance Community members who have been named CUNA Compliance Community Cultivators in celebration of the five-year anniversary of the community’s launch. Today, the CUNA Compliance Community—a member benefit available to every CUNA member credit union—has more than 6,000 members and is the most engaged CUNA community.

David Murphy’s history with credit unions goes way back.

"My mom used to babysit for the president of a credit union," says the vice president of finance and risk at $75 million asset Marshfield (Wis.) Medical Center Credit Union. "One day I went into the credit union after school and said, 'You have any openings for me?' She said, 'Yeah, we’ll see what we can do.' It was my first job. I got my driver’s license and started work the next day."

Murphy says the community has helped him get answers to questions in the disciplines that don’t line up directly with his accounting experience.

"I don’t feel we’re in trouble if I’m not the expert in every area," Murphy says. "I know there are people I can reach out to. That’s what’s so cool about getting involved in the CUNA Compliance Community."

When he started in the community, Murphy decided that if he saw a question posted that he knew the answer to, he was going to post a response. He followed through on that goal and suggests the same mindset for anyone new to the community.

"Don’t be afraid to post," he says. "That’s how you grow from the knowledge standpoint—but also, people begin recognizing your name. You build credibility by both asking for and posting information."

Murphy enjoys helping fellow community members solve the issues they face.

"We’re only as strong, as an industry, as our weakest link," he says. "There’s no reason the credit union three states down should be struggling just because they don't have in-house expertise. There could be an answer out there that might have a huge impact on their shop."

► Read more profiles of Compliance Community Cultivators.