Marketer lives to learn
Credit unions are a family tradition for Colleen Desselle.
Colleen Desselle first walked through the doors of CSE Federal Credit Union in Lake Charles, La., as a 12-year-old. Now, as chief marketing officer, she’s never been away from the $458 million asset credit union for long.
“This is my credit union,” says Desselle, who received the CUNA Marketing & Business Development Council’s 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award. “My grandfather was one of the earliest members when this credit union started in 1943. He established me as a member and started my journey of saving and learning the credit union way.”
She’s been an active member ever since, attending annual meetings and considering the credit union and its members as an extended family.
“It's been part of my family history,” she says. “I consider myself fourth generation, and we’re expanding that with my grandchild being a new member here. I’m excited about what credit unions offer and why I work here.”
Desselle has worked at CSE Federal for 31 years since graduating college and asking about a part-time teller position in 1993. Within a year, she was a full-time teller.
She later became a member service representative, loan processor, consumer lender, and mortgage lender. After 10 years into her career, she found that marketing was her true path.
In the wake of a charter change, the Louisiana Credit Union League suggested adding a marketing department to boost the credit union’s community presence. Desselle started CSE Federal’s marketing and business development department in 2003, serving as its first and only employee.
“I didn't have a budget, much less a plan,” she says. “As I did things, I got buy-in. Eventually, I had a budget and created plans.”
Her achievements are obvious. When Desselle started at CSE Federal, the credit union had one office, 14,000 members, fewer than 50 select employee groups (SEGs), and about $100 million in assets.
Today, she leads a six-person department at a four-branch credit union with 35,000 members and 500 SEGs in six communities.
She’s proud of the people they’ve served, viewing marketing as an advocate for members.
“We hear their pain points—what they want and what they don't want,” Desselle says. “When we started the business development side of our marketing program, my task was to meet with businesses to introduce the credit union industry to them.”
Members often approach Desselle, telling her they saw her billboard or TV.
“Our people recognize us,” she says. “We get people who sing our tagline to us every day. They say, ‘That's my credit union.’”
Those interactions charge Desselle’s batteries, as does her involvement in the credit union movement.
The recent CUNA Management School graduate also is treasurer of the Lake Charles Chapter of Credit Unions. She also served on the CUNA Marketing & Business Development Membership Committee.
Desselle plans to keep learning. “When you quit learning, you quit living.”