Women of Banking (formerly Women of Community Banking)

Can a small community bank compete with national giants? Danica Hudson, Head of Partnerships at Coastal Community Bank, joins Anurag Mukherjee to reveal how their CCBX division drove growth from $700M to over $4B in assets through strategic Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) partnerships. In this episode of Women of Community Banking , we debunk the "plug-and-play" myth of BaaS and explore why...

What does it take to bring Silicon Valley marketing thinking into a credit union and actually make it work? Trisha Smith, VP of Marketing at Everwise Credit Union in Indiana, joins host Anurag Mukherjee for one of the most practical conversations about credit union marketing you will hear this year. Trisha came from agencies, tech startups, and healthcare — and brought with her a growth marketer&#...

From teller to VP before 35 — Lisa, Vice President of Marketing at Mid-Florida Credit Union, joins host Anurag Mukherjee for one of the most honest, energizing conversations in community banking this year. With 13+ years in the credit union movement — including nearly a decade at GTE Financial — Lisa has built her career on one simple belief: you don't wait to be invited into leadership. You w...

What does it take for an immigrant from Mexico City to rise to Chief Strategy Officer of Ohio's largest credit union? In this episode of the Women of Community Banking Podcast, host Anurag Mukherjee sits down with Andrea Ruiz Rabadan, CSO of Wright-Patt Credit Union, for one of the most candid, inspiring, and insight-packed conversations in the show's history. Andrea's story is anythin...

Episode Title: Pam Piligian, CMO of Navy Federal Credit Union, on Brand Trust, AI in Banking and the Future of the Credit Union Movement What is Navy Federal Credit Union? Navy Federal Credit Union is the world's largest credit union by membership, serving active duty military personnel, veterans, Department of Defense employees, and their families. It operates as a nonprofit financial coopera...

In this episode, Cheryl Dutton , CMO of Altra Credit Union , shares her 39-year journey in marketing—from a national footwear company and a boutique winery to leading an award-winning team at Altra. Cheryl discusses how she built a world-class in-house creative agency, the importance of youth marketing (keeping Altra’s average member age in the early 40s), and how they achieved a 9.22/10 member sa...

What does it take to lead operations at a growing commercial bank in today's rapidly shifting financial landscape? In this episode of the Women of Community Banking Podcast , we sit down with Dana Zeller , Chief Operating Officer at BHI — a US commercial bank backed by an Israel-based parent institution — for one of the most honest, unfiltered conversations we've ever had about banking lea...

What does it take to build a world-class marketing engine at a credit union? Ask Megan Primeau, SVP of Marketing at TruStone Financial Credit Union — a marketing leader with nearly 25 years of experience who has seen it all, done it all, and still shows up every day with the same passion she had on day one. In this episode of Women of Community Banking, Megan sits down with host Anurag Mukherjee t...

25 years. One credit union. One CEO with a lot to say. Linda Armyn didn't parachute into the corner office. She grew up at FourLeaf Credit Union — back when it was Bethpage FCU — working her way through business development, marketing, strategy, and pandemic leadership before stepping into the CEO role. And that lived-in perspective shapes everything about how she leads. In this episode we get...

In this episode of the Women of Community Banking Podcast, Anurag Mukherjee sits down with Tori Eleonora, Vice President of Operations at Langley Federal Credit Union (Virginia), who has spent 22 years growing within the same institution — from teller at age 20 to leading six operational teams today. What you'll learn in this episode:How Tori moved through fraud, data analytics, and business a...

What does it take to balance digital transformation with community banking's human touch? Carla Higgins, SVP of Client and Employee Experience at CNB Bank, breaks it down. In this episode of Women of Community Banking, Carla shares how CNB Bank — a $6 billion institution across six divisions — is navigating one of the most critical questions in community banking today: how do you go digital wi...

Sarah Snell Cooke — founder of Credit Union Connection and former publisher & editor-in-chief of Credit Union Times — joins Anurag Mukherjee for one of the most candid and story-rich conversations on the Women of Community Banking Podcast. With nearly three decades covering the credit union industry, Sarah shares her personal story of how a credit union saved her marriage, why smaller credit u...

In this live episode recorded at GAC 2026 in Washington D.C., Anurag Mukherjee sits down with April Clobes, CEO of MSUFCU and Reseda Group, for a candid, unfiltered conversation on the state of the credit union movement — and where it's headed. April is one of the most consequential figures in credit union history. Under her leadership, MSUFCU has grown into one of the largest university-based...

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Emily Nichols, SVP of Enterprise Operations at Grow Financial, as she shares her 25-year journey in credit union leadership. From building one of the industry's first analytics teams in 2012 to leading digital transformation initiatives, Emily offers candid insights on career resilience, innovation, and the future of financial services. Who is Emily N...

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Marella Nardotti, Chief Marketing Officer of State Department Federal Credit Union, as she shares her remarkable journey from the restaurant industry to becoming a leading voice in credit union marketing.🎯 Episode Highlights:From Restaurants to Credit UnionsMarella discusses her unique career path, starting in her family's restaurant business where s...

In this episode of the Women of Community Banking Podcast, host Anurag Mukherjee sits down with Radha Chavali, the CIO of Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union. With nearly 30 years of technology experience across healthcare, retail, and manufacturing, Radha shares her incredible journey from an immigrant student in Iowa to a visionary C-suite executive. Radha breaks down why "Digital Transforma...

Join us for an insightful conversation with Ashley Kohlrus, Chief Operations Officer at Members Development Company (MDC), as she shares her unique perspective from spending over two decades in credit unions before transitioning to leading innovation at scale. What You'll Learn:Credit Union Innovation StrategyAshley discusses how credit unions can accelerate innovation through collaboration ra...

Welcome to another episode of Women of Community Banking! 🎙️In this episode, host Anurag Mukherjee sits down with Pam Kaur, Platform Lead at Alloy Labs, to discuss her unconventional journey from community banking to venture capital, and her insights on innovation in financial services. About Pam Kaur:Pam brings over a decade of technical experience in community banking and now leads platform init...

Welcome to an incredibly inspiring episode of the Women of Community Banking podcast! Host Anurag Mukherjee sits down with Jimese Harkley, Chief Community Engagement Officer at Harborstone Credit Union, for a deeply insightful conversation about her remarkable two-decade journey through the credit union movement and her vision for community impact. About This EpisodeIn this candid and passionate c...

In this episode of the Women of Community Banking Podcast , host Anurag Mukherjee sits down with Su Rayburn , VP of Information Management and Analytics at Delta Community Credit Union , for one of the most thoughtful and wide-ranging conversations the podcast has featured. Su's journey is anything but linear. Starting as a Chartered Accountant in India during the golden age of ERP and CRM ado...

In this episode, host Anurag Mukherjee sits down with Sharon Anderson, a banking executive leading digital transformation and retail operations at a community bank. Sharon shares her remarkable journey from Bangalore, India to becoming a leader in the U.S. community banking sector.🌟 What You'll Learn:Sharon's Journey:From India's first call center in the 90s to community banking leade...

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Amanda Whitson, Chief Lending Officer at Community First Credit Union, as she shares her remarkable journey from part-time teller to the C-suite over two decades in the credit union industry. In this episode, Amanda discusses:Her career path and the power of mentorship in shaping leadershipPriorities for her first year as CLO at Community First Credit Uni...

Join host Anurag Mukherjee for a compelling live conversation with Myrto Koimtzoglou , Chief Operating Officer of Farmers Insurance Federal Credit Union, as she shares her remarkable journey from international banking to credit union leadership. What You'll LearnCareer Transformation InsightsHow to transition from large commercial banks (JP Morgan, UBS, Wells Fargo) to credit unionsWhy complia...

Welcome to Women of Community Banking! 🎙️ In this episode, we sit down with Tracy Durocher, Senior Vice President of Marketing at St. Mary's Bank—America's oldest credit union—to discuss credit union marketing strategies, balancing heritage with innovation, and attracting younger generations to community banking. Tracy shares her unique journey from aspiring elementary school teacher to le...

Welcome to another episode of Women of Community Banking Podcast! In this episode, recorded from the beautiful Bay Area, Anurag Mukherjee talks with Vanessa Hernandez, the retail delivery leader at Mid-Florida Credit Union. Vanessa shares her inspiring 25+ year journey from healthcare and auto industries into financial services, her passion for serving and developing people, and her leadership phi...