Debbie Jones, president/CEO of UT Federal Credit Union in Knoxville, will retire at the end of the month. Here’s a Q&A in honor of her 45-year career in the financial industry.
How long did you work within the banking/credit union industry?
I’m going on 45 years in the financial industry. I started my banking career working at American Express International Bank in Germany in a little German village, Wildflecken, which was an American military post in upper Bavaria. My husband was stationed there from 1980 to 1984. From Germany, we moved to Dahlonega, Ga., where I worked as a teller at a local community bank, Bank of Dahlonega as my husband had an ROTC assignment at the University of North Georgia. When living in D.C., I worked for a regional CPA firm auditing credit unions. I started at UT Federal Credit Union as VP of finance in 1996.
Describe your first role within the financial services industry.
I worked as the “foreign money teller” in Wildflecken, Germany, and was in charge of ordering and converting 16 various currencies that the GIs and families needed for travel. There was no Euro at that time, and I did not have a computer, so it was interesting converting to and from U.S. dollars with the various exchange rates that changed each day! However, I did get to hear a lot of travel stories.
What do you hope people will remember the most about your leadership?
Being a CEO is not always a popular place to be and can oftentimes be a lonely place. Even though I have made decisions that some do not like, every decision I have made has been with our members and staff in mind. I hope I can be remembered as someone who was always fair and someone who cared about giving every employee a chance to grow and every member a chance to strengthen their financial well-being.
What advice do you have for young professionals?
Stay focused on your dreams and what you want for your future. There will be many ups and downs but don’t get discouraged. Use every opportunity to learn all you can no matter what job you may have. Each road takes you down a path to build your future opportunities. No matter what you do, do it with passion, integrity and always be the best that you can. Make a difference in others’ lives.
What’s next for you? What are you most looking forward to in retirement?
I hope to continue to stay in the credit union industry at some level. We love to travel, so I will spend more time doing that, along with learning French! I can speak some German but it was easy to learn when you are young, not so easy to learn a language as you get older!
