Debra Schwartz , President and CEO Mission Federal Credit Union
A Dynamic Career with a Passion for Community Service
CUBN News Desk/August 26,2020 There is something unique, dynamic, even formidable about Debra Schwartz. A proponent of lifelong learning, Debra earned a Bachelor of Science degree, magna cum laude, in Economics and Marketing from the State University of New York, and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business. She openly shares her experience as a guest speaker on topics including effective leadership, mentoring and financial soundness in challenging economic times.
Debra started her career as a part time teller, in the savings and loan industry while she was earning her graduate degree.
“It took me a while to discover credit unions, and it was love at first sight,” she said. “I am so much happier working for our members and community, rather than toward a bigger bottom line.”
Today Debra is an experienced credit union executive with more than 35 years of financial services leadership. Since 2008, she has served as President and CEO of Mission Fed, which currently has over $4.5 billion in assets and more than 260,000 members.
After joining Mission Fed in 2007, Debra also served as the credit union’s Executive Vice President and Interim CEO in 2008. Along with Mission Fed’s volunteer Board of Directors and more than 550 employees, Debra is dedicated to providing high-quality financial and related services to meet the needs of the credit union’s growing and diverse membership, as well as to Mission Fed’s role as a local community partner of choice.
Her experience also includes senior executive positions as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President, as well as other operational and leadership positions at California financial institutions.
“Mission Fed was having some financial and regulatory challenges when I joined in mid-2007,” she said. “Morale was at a low point, and employees frankly were even a bit embarrassed about all of our issues. Mission Fed had a great brand, so my challenge was to try to inspire and motivate the team to a success mindset. Now, our employees have great pride in their credit union. Our most recent Employee Survey with over 500 employees showed an overall average score of 91.1% favorable, with 99.6% indicating that their work was important to the success of the credit union and 97.9% agreeing that Mission Fed has an exciting future.”
Throughout her career, Debra has dedicated her time and talent to a variety of nonprofit organizations focused on youth, financial literacy, and the credit union movement. Currently, she serves as Board Chair of the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions (NAFCU). She strives for excellent relationships with regulators from the local to national levels. Schwartz chaired NAFCU’s Investment, Legislative, and Regulatoryand Committees and served on its Membership Awards and Region V Advisory Committee. She is Chair of Junior Achievement of San Diego County and serves as Vice Chair for the American Heart Association Go Red for Women campaign.
Consumer Reports and Forbes both recognized Mission Fed for achievements based on member feedback. In 2019, Mission Fed gave over $1 million to its members through its Money Match program, $2 million to employees in bonuses, and $1 million to the community, including donations to the San Diego Food Bank (see photo below), Rady’s Children’s’ Hospital and Mission Fed JA Finance Park. Additionally, under Debra’s leadership, Mission Fed launched a corporate rebranding campaign, which puts Mission Fed’s dedication to the community front and center.
During the COVID-19 crisis, Debra has used her insight, experience, and leadership skills to help her organization and the community stay vital. She has ensured that Mission Fed remains well stabilized to avoid staff layoffs, furloughs, and branch closures. Under her leadership, Mission Fed has implemented Emergency Assistance Loans, Skip-A-Pay and Forbearance options for members who may be laid off or have a reduction in pay during COVID.
“Throughout the pandemic, the credit union industry has again proven that we are first and foremost a community-driven financial services industry,” she said. “From offering....-->
A Dynamic Career with a Passion for Community Service
CUBN News Desk/August 26,2020 There is something unique, dynamic, even formidable about Debra Schwartz. A proponent of lifelong learning, Debra earned a Bachelor of Science degree, magna cum laude, in Economics and Marketing from the State University of New York, and a M...