Breaking barriers

Susan Chadwick is capable of visualizing the full picture in every business decision.

With a career that spans almost 30 years at America First Federal Credit Union, Chadwick is an active member of the credit union community. Now serving as vice president of credit at the $10 billion asset credit union in Ogden, Utah, Chadwick oversees and works closely with department managers to advance technology efficiencies and employee relationships.

Her role at America First Federal is significant. She led the organization to adopt centralized underwriting after the recession in an effort to bring consistency to the lending department and the nearly 400 loan officers who serve the credit union’s members.

“We came together as an organization with the understanding that we needed to make the change to manage consistency in our growing organization,” says Chadwick, who graduated from CUNA Management School with honors and is a designated CUNA Certified Credit Union Executive.

A formative experience in Chadwick’s credit union career was when she opened the credit union’s first branch in a grocery store in the Salt Lake City market. She grew as a leader during this time, as it was her first managing experience.

Chadwick selected an entirely new team. “My biggest takeaway was the importance of sharing feedback—both constructive and positive,” she says. “Employees need to know you care, which sometimes involves tough conversations.”

Chadwick always is looking for ways to save time and money for the credit union and its members. Moving forward, she plans to use predictive analytics to reduce losses within the organization.

“I feel incredibly fortunate that the organization I have been a part of for 30 years is in the business of improving our members’ quality of life,” says Chadwick, who is also a competent communicator with Toastmasters International and serves on the board for the Ogden/Weber Chamber of Commerce Women in Business—where she leads the professional development committee. “All of the decisions we make, products we offer, or new technology we implement, are thoughtfully planned with consideration of every impact to our members.”