Profile: Carissa Wall, Access Credit Union

Carissa Wall

VP, Administration, Access Credit Union

Career:

Start in the credit union system: 2004

Carissa has had the opportunity to work in several different roles at Access Credit Union. She started as a Commercial / Agricultural Loan Administrator, then moved into the Personal Account Manager role shortly thereafter, which was her goal when she joined the credit union. A couple years later, a position opened up in Human Resources and she worked in that department for several years before leading the newly created Loan Processing Centre in 2011. This role continued to evolve through growth and amalgamations, and currently she oversees five administrative departments including Business Loan Administration, Estate & Registered Products, Loan Administration, Operations Support & Clearing, and Retail Loan Processing.

A typical day:

Carissa works to create an environment where employees feel empowered, valued, and supported. Working through several mergers, it has been especially important to build trust and bring the teams and organization together. She spends a good portion of her day, coaching, collaborating, and planning for the future.

Keys to success:

Carissa says she’s had some amazing leaders and colleagues in her life that believed in her and gave her the confidence to believe in herself and her leadership abilities.

She says her key to success has been a willingness to learn and grow through every interaction. Learning to actively listen is especially important, as leadership has evolved from managing tasks to coaching employees to reach their full potential. She says leadership is hard, but it is also rewarding when you see your teams develop, grow, and succeed.