Jason Johnson on Digital Strategy, Member Autonomy, and the Power of Relational Banking

Jason Johnson on Digital Strategy, Member Autonomy, and the Power of Relational Banking

In this episode of The Eltropy Exchange, Michael Pupil sits down with Jason Johnson [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-johnson-93920050], Senior Director of Digital Strategy and Project Management at KEMBA Financial Credit Union [https://www.kemba.org/]. Jason shares his early career journey and the distinct ethical difference he found when returning to the credit union movement. He explains how KEMBA prioritizes serving the member and community first, using sales numbers as a measurement of how they're impacting the community. Jason unpacks KEMBA’s strategic approach to technology, including their full deployment of Interactive Teller Machines (ITMs), which allows for expanded drive-through hours from 8 to 6 to 7 to 7. He discusses how this strategy helps serve members in previously "underserved areas". Crucially, he details the successful strategy of converting indirect loan members into fully engaged, multi-product members by offering a rate reduction via their relationship pricing model. This resulted in a 40% checking penetration and 37% increase in overall average share deposits from that portfolio. Finally, Jason discusses KEMBA's thoughtful approach to AI, emphasizing the need for very clear and defined use cases and the challenge of maintaining the "small credit union" identity while benefiting from efficiencies.

Digital Delivery & Deep Loyalty: Adrienne Cabal on FAIRWINDS’ Generational Growth Plan

In this episode of The Eltropy Exchange, Michael Pupil sits down with Adrienne Cabal, [https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrienne-adi-cabal-07677491/] Senior Vice President of Digital Delivery at FAIRWINDS Credit Union [https://www.fairwinds.org/], for an inspiring conversation on challenging industry norms to achieve relational growth. As a leader who transitioned from teaching to a new, enterprise-wide SVP role, Adrienne shares her unique perspective on developing people, fostering trust, and driving a digital strategy that always puts the member’s long-term financial health first. She reveals FAIRWINDS’ aggressive three-year goal to have digital channels outpace brick-and-mortar in new member acquisition and explains the crucial mindset shift required to achieve it: intentionally blending digital efficiency with authentic human connection. Adrienne details the credit union’s “debt-free banking” philosophy, their partnership with Ramsey Solutions, and how they reward staff for counseling members away from debt—a strategy that runs counter to conventional banking but builds powerful, generational loyalty. This episode is a must-listen for leaders looking to cultivate a winning, relationship-first strategy in a rapidly digitizing financial world. Financial Freedom happens here.® Key Links: * https://www.fairwinds.org [https://www.fairwinds.org/] * https://www.fairwinds.org/ramsey [https://www.fairwinds.org/ramsey]

Matt Fehrmann’s Blueprint for Digital Transformation and Competing with Big Tech

In this episode of The Eltropy Exchange, Michael Pupil sits down with Matt Fehrmann [https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-fehrmann-53775a7], Chief Information Officer at Kohler Credit Union [https://www.kohlercu.com/], for a candid conversation about the forces driving digital change in community financial institutions (CFIs). Drawing on his two decades of experience across manufacturing (including implementing complex ERP systems like SAP) and banking, Matt offers a unique, technology-forward perspective on innovation, member service, and competitive strategy. Matt discusses the critical crossroads for credit unions: how to relentlessly innovate and embrace digital speed—the “innovate or die” reality—while still preserving the high-touch, human connection that defines the credit union movement. He emphasizes the need to meet members in their channel of choice, referencing his own experience of buying a car entirely through text. The discussion also covers the challenge of competing for deposits against non-financial players like Starbucks and Walmart, the importance of mission-driven growth and community involvement, and the need for leaders to look beyond local competitors to the world of Big Tech and FinTech. This episode offers a clear call to action for leaders to think like a technology company, personalize the member journey, and embrace a “talk to me like a buddy” mentality to build deeper loyalty.

Lone Jensen on Blending Digital Innovation with Human Connection

In this episode of The Eltropy Exchange, Michael Pupil sits down with Lone Jensen [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lonejensen2], Chief Member Experience Officer at Alltru Credit Union [https://alltrucu.org/], for a candid and inspiring conversation about leadership, community, and the human side of financial services. Lone, originally from Denmark, shares her unique journey to the credit union industry and how her international background has shaped her perspective on collaboration and innovation. Lone dives into the intentional strategies Alltru is using to fulfill its mission, including the creation of a CDFI Advisory Board and a robust internal knowledge base. She reveals how these initiatives are not just about checking boxes, but about creating a confident, empowered team that is better equipped to serve members. The conversation also explores their innovative approach to financial wellness with a unique salary advance loan program designed to help employees of their partner businesses, and how they are leveraging technology like their new internal chatbot, to improve efficiency. This episode is a must-listen for leaders who want to build a culture of empowerment, stay committed to their communities, and find a balance between high-tech solutions and a high-touch member experience.

Kris Frantzen on Digital-First Lending, Automation, and the Future-Ready Credit Union

In this episode of The Eltropy Exchange, Michael Pupil sits down with Kris Frantzen [https://www.linkedin.com/in/krisfrantzen], VP of Product Strategy at Temenos [https://www.temenos.com/], for a candid conversation about the forces rapidly shaping credit unions and community financial institutions. Kris, who has spent over 24 years in the financial software and service space, shares his perspective on the growing addiction to digital convenience and how it’s setting new expectations for the modern consumer. The discussion covers the industry-wide shift toward digital-first and omnichannel experiences, and the critical need to leverage data for personalized, quick, and compliant service. Kris unpacks the challenges of managing higher delinquency rates without dramatically increasing staff and highlights the opportunities in intelligently automating both the lending and collections spaces. He details Temenos’ “Future Ready” roadmap, focusing on their Life Cycle Management Suite, which connects account origination, loan origination, collections, and recovery, emphasizing the power of integrating these processes. Finally, Kris shares a key piece of advice for credit union leaders: to always stay anchored to the “why”—the meaningful use case—before diving into new technology like AI.