Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Who am I?


Who am I:
Good question. Well in my profile it says my name is Kent Sugg. That is true. It also says my profession is banking. Well close, my profession is actually Credit Unioning, and since that wasn’t an option, nor is it a word, I chose banking. I should explain. My business card says that I am a Manager, Member Services at Tinker Federal Credit Union. Most days I carry the title well. But for the next 6 months, it is just my title. Who I actually am is the side-kick to the Director of Innovation Projects for the Filene Research Institute. Okay, I know what you’re thinking, you’re thinking, well side-kicks aren’t very important. Well now you know why I kept my title as Manager, Member Services.

Why I am writing this:
For the next 6 months, I will be working on the implementation of a few of the Filene Research Institute’s i3 Innovation projects. Maureen Maddox and I (she is the one with the important title, it’s an experience thing) will be working our tails off from different parts of the country to create and execute implementation strategies for these lucky products. The purpose of this blog is for me to document my experiences with the Sabbatical.

What will I write about:
The vast majority of this blog will be focused on the progress of the three Filene i3 projects: Savings Revolution, Prize-Based Savings, and MatriMoney. It will have tons of information that doesn’t go out in Press Releases about the experiences of Credit Unions in regards to innovation and even more importantly the implementation of all those great ideas. In addition to product information I will talk about my Radical Sabbatical Experience and even a few thoughts on the Credit Union movement.

My Credit Union Experience:
TFCU is the only place I have ever had a savings or checking account. I have worked for TFCU for 5 years. I was previously a teller, Member Service Officer, Teller Supervisor, and most recently a Manager. I have worked on several projects including the GenNext project at TFCU, which will be mentioned in future posts I am sure. I will also be mentioning Southwest CUNA Management School some, as I progress through my Three-Year Strategic Planning Project. Perhaps the biggest honor of my Credit Union career is being elected President of the Class of 2009 at SCMS.

My family history in one paragraph:
I am blessed to be the father of an amazing one-year old boy, Kaven, who has me trained well. I am also proud to report that his favorite word is “dada” and his favorite food Macaroni and Cheese. I met my wife, Thea (pronounced Tia) at TFCU 5 years ago, she wouldn’t go out with me because I was only 19, but we married a year later, so that worked out. She is currently a teller supervisor and aspires to be a stay-at-home mom. My dad is the manager of a glass business, he kicked me out of that line of work at 15, (Thanks Dad!!) so at 18, I went into my mom’s line of work. She is currently the HR Director at a Credit Union in Oklahoma City. She worked for TFCU for several years, and is probably the reason I got hired in the first place. She also did consulting for 5 years with numerous Credit Unions and State Leagues.

Other Disclosures:
So now you know who I am, and what I will talk about. I will go ahead and apologize for my poor grammar and inevitable typos. I welcome all feedback and look forward to getting your opinions on my opinion. Remember even though I will discuss mostly my Research Sabbatical and other subjects as related to the Credit Union movement, the opinions expressed in it are mine and don’t always reflect the opinions of the Filene Research Institute or Tinker Federal Credit Union.

1 comment:

Sonya said...

Kent, I have had a chance to visit with you personally and am very impressed with your enthusiasm and motivation both about this project and the credit union's system. I will enjoy watching you work through this project and am looking forward to the outcome.