Teresa Arnold, president/CEO of Northeast Community Credit Union in Elizabethton, will retire at the end of March. Here’s a Q&A in honor of her 40-year career.
How long did you work within the banking/credit union industry?
Nearly 40 years – I began my first credit union job in June 1985 a few years after graduating college. I worked there for seven years before coming to Northeast Community Credit Union (which was named Elizabethton Teachers Credit Union at the time) when I learned of an opening. I didn’t want to leave RMB, but the new opportunity would mean far less drive time. We’d had our first child by then and the idea of being so much closer to home appealed to me greatly. It turned out to be the best possible move and spanned the last 33 years.
Describe your first role within the financial services industry.
I was hired to be RMB’s accountant. Their existing bookkeeper had plans to retire, and since the credit union’s growth was evident as the sponsoring manufacturing plant was expanding, the credit union manager wanted someone with more extensive accounting experience which I had gotten working in the field through college and also three years after college. As it was a small ($21 million) credit union, the five of us employed there at the time did everything and anything needed – we all worked drawers, waited on members and processed loans. Those tasks were in addition to my role of keeping the books and producing financial statements.
As we expanded, so did my work there, and I later served also as branch manager and interim manager. I’m thankful I learned to multi-task early because that ability became a vital one as time went on. Some of those initial experiences provided basic building blocks that led to an eventual leadership role in a much larger and far more complex credit union.
Northeast Community Credit Union now has four full-service branches plus student branches in all five Carter County high schools. We have a tremendously positive impact on our community and the families in it. Our people look to us first when they need help, want advice or have questions. We’re proud to be the ones they turn to, and we’re committed to doing all we can to assist them with whatever they need in whichever stage of life they find themselves.
What propelled you to stay within the credit union industry?
Knowing that our industry, and especially our credit union, makes the extra effort and has the determination to always FIND a way to help those in need. I’ve seen what a tremendous impact we have and it makes me proud to be part of such an organization and such a movement.
What advice do you have for young professionals?
Be flexible – realize that there is usually more than one right answer. Develop a strong work ethic – be willing to cheerfully do whatever it takes, whether or not you think it’s your job. Make it a priority to always maintain your integrity. Be thankful for your job and for any benefits you’re blessed with, and be very thankful for the blessing of working in an industry that gives you an opportunity to make a difference in peoples’ lives. Your coworkers become your family – be supportive; treat them considerately; give them grace.
What’s next for you? What are you most looking forward to in retirement?
I’m looking forward to relaxing and having coffee on my porch each morning with my husband. Also, we’ve traveled quite a bit since we became empty-nesters several years ago, and we plan to do more of that since we enjoy it so much. We also want more time to spend with our two grandsons, ages 2 and 3 – they bring so much energy and so much joy.
I’ve been tremendously blessed the last four decades with a career that I’ve loved. I’ve also been blessed with an amazing family, and I look forward to delighting in the time I can spend with them.
