Criss Browning, director of business development at the Tennessee Credit Union League, has crisscrossed the state serving credit unions countless of times during the past 36 years. Here’s a Q&A in honor of his retirement.
How long did you work within the banking/credit union industry?
I moved to Tennessee March 1, 1988, from Baton Rouge, La. I started in banking in Baton Rouge, working at a finance company. I made loans and worked in collections for about five years.
Describe your first role at the League.
My first role with the League was as an auditor. I was hired March 1, 1988. I did supervisory audits for credit unions, mainly in Middle and West Tennessee, working with small credit unions. I did auditing for about five years until I switched over to consulting for small credit unions under $50M in assets.
Looking back on your career, what has been your most rewarding accomplishment?
The most rewarding thing: I have really enjoyed working with the small credit unions in the state to help them grow and forming relationships with Tennessee credit unions of all sizes over my 36 years in the industry.
What propelled you to stay within the credit union industry?
I really think of all of the relationships that I have with credit unions. My goal was to try to provide service and support to credit unions. Whenever I would visit a credit union or call them, I would try to find out what credit unions have going on, what problems they might have and try to find solutions for them. I think most of the people knew I was there to help them with some solutions.
What’s next for you? What are you most looking forward to in retirement?
I’m not sure—enjoy life, and wait on my wife to retire soon and join me. I hope to stay in contact with what’s going on in credit union industry. I know one thing for sure though—I will miss talking, seeing and visiting credit unions. I have some great memories over the past 36 years!
