Tinker Federal Credit Union in Oklahoma City, Ok., is demonstrating their commitment to the growth of the credit union industry as well as their employee by sponsoring an employee’s six-month sabbatical with Filene Research Institute of Madison, Wis.
Kent Sugg of Tinker Federal Credit Union (TFCU) started his “Innovation Sabbatical” on Jan. 7, 2008. In his role he’ll be using his experience, energy and creativity to putting the Institute’s research and innovation findings into action in their local credit union marketplace. Sugg was recommended to the program for his energy and his willingness to learn and grow, both personally and professionally.
TFCU executive vice president Gary Bartley says he considers this to be a great investment. “We believe this is an important program to support,” says Bartley. “The program is truly a win-win; we look forward to the knowledge Kent will bring back to us and are proud of the contributions he will make to the credit union industry.”
Sugg’s Innovation Sabbatical is just one sabbatical the Filene Research Institute offers for credit union industry executives, created to help credit unions grow. The Filene “Radical Sabbatical” program taps talent and challenges them to uncover ways to use research and innovative ideas in practical application. Through independent research and innovation programs, the Filene Research Institute explores issues vital to the future of credit unions and consumer finance.
Currently serving as a TFCU member service manager, Sugg has extensive experience in TFCU’s branch operations. Sugg is working remotely from TFCU’s operations center in Oklahoma City, Ok., during the assignment with occasional travel to the Filene Wisconsin office as necessary.
Sugg is working with the Filene chief innovation officer, Denise Gabel and Maureen Maddox on the Filene Project Implementation Team. The team’s purpose is to develop and implement a comprehensive plan to launch national field projects that encourage and enable credit unions to be innovation leaders. Filene is a resource for credit unions focusing on implementing new ideas.
“We are fortunate to have Kent’s talents and experience as part of the Filene team,” says Denise Gabel, Filene Chief Innovation Officer. “Kent will focus on further implementation of Filene i3 ideas and assist credit unions with taking those ideas and turning them into practical application. His background and skills will be a huge asset to our team.”
The Filene sabbatical program is significant because it demonstrates Filene innovation at work to help member organizations and the industry as a whole. Filene is the first group in the credit union industry to offer this sabbatical model, reflecting their mission of delivering relevant research and innovation programs to credit unions to help them compete in a changing marketplace while also prompting discussion and debate about issues of relevance to the industry. Filene plans to work closely with sabbatical participants to capture their lessons learned and use their experiences to expand the program moving forward. The program seeks credit union executives who, like Sugg, exhibit exceptional passion for problem-solving and moving ideas forward.
“Credit unions were created by innovative people who wanted to find a better way to borrow and save money. They are part of a community and have truly defined the notion of people helping people,” said Sugg. “In this same spirit, the Filene i3 team continually develops new and innovative products that will allow credit unions to better serve their members. Much like the early credit union pioneers, this team understands that change is the catalyst for growth and success. Through innovation, credit unions can continue to provide value to their members.”
Tinker Federal Credit Union is the largest credit union in Oklahoma, with more than $1.5 billion dollars in assets and over 186,000 members.
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