“CUSO Educators” is a collaboration group within the credit union industry, designed to build a network of professionals who are passionate about sharing their knowledge through education. These education coordinators discuss strategies on how to create and maintain training calendars for their credit union and staff.

Kasey Olchowski, Manager of the Education Team at CU*Answers, recently sat down with one of the members of this collaboration group to get some insight on education strategies. She interviewed Mae Johnson, a Training and Development Specialist with TBA Credit Union located in Traverse City, MI.

Having been at TBA for over 12 years, Mae initially started as a teller but has held various roles, including branch leadership. This hands-on experience has ultimately prepared her for this next chapter and has fostered an environment that allows staff to develop and hone their skills as professionals in the credit union industry. Mae now serves as a Training and Development Specialist and has held this role for roughly three years. In this position, Mae is responsible for the coordination of new hire onboarding, soliciting feedback from new hires and supervisors, and documenting onboarding procedures and workflows.

Are you currently responsible for Training & Development? Then we encourage you to keep reading as we pull back the curtain to better understand the techniques being used at TBA Credit Union.

What motivates you to work in training, especially within the financial services industry?

Assisting others with becoming successful has been a passion that kept her motivated over the last 12+ years. Mae now serves as a Training and Development Specialist, where she is determined to help her staff become confident in their ability to serve members in their local communities.

In addition, she described her enthusiasm when able to personally witness the “lightbulb moments.”

Her primary goal is to help newcomers succeed in their careers, particularly in the financial services industry. She wants her staff to understand the products and services being offered so they can better educate their membership about the options available to them within the credit union.

Where does one begin when determining what is critical to include in a new hire training plan?

Mae discussed her approach to developing a new hire training plan. This started by reflecting on her own first day experience at the credit union. She emphasized the importance of quickly introducing new employees to the organization’s culture, mission, vision, and core values during their first week.

Mae highlighted that the goal is to create an inclusive environment where new hires feel comfortable asking questions and know they will receive support in finding answers.

Her advice to you is not stress about the entire plan when you first sit down. Simply grab a pen and paper and focus on day one. What is important on that first day? Once you have sorted that out, move on to day two. Eventually, you will have a week one training plan that you are proud of and can slowly begin working on week two material.

So, ask yourself, what is really the most important item(s) that require your attention? Now prioritize those first! Usually, it’s specific to Human Resources paperwork, orientation, and workstation setup. No need to jump into the deep end of the pool on their first day.

Could you walk us through what onboarding steps are involved before a new hire begins their daily job functions at TBA?

First, and foremost, Mae emphasized the importance of creating a welcoming and supportive onboarding experience that introduces new employees to the organization’s culture and values.

While it’s important that she coordinate the onboarding activities, we don’t want to lose track of how the new hire feels. Stop often and collect feedback to understand if the training strategy is effective for their learning style. Mae finds it helpful to collect feedback through surveys and often uses templates to streamline the process on her end.

Mae further described her role and how it impacts the onboarding process for all new hires. She is responsible for preparing the new hires’ schedule, which includes a combination of classroom and online training. This coordination doesn’t necessarily mean she is the only trainer. She works closely with the Human Resources Team and their IT Team to facilitate orientation. In addition, all hands-on training is led by branch experience leaders and team leads.

Her advice to you is to start building templates based on role to make future onboarding experiences smoother. However, be flexible, because things may shift around depending on the availability of your staff. The sequence of events might look different in each season, depending on current workloads.

Describe the impact that your planning efforts have on the staff. What kind of feedback have you received so far?

The feedback so far has been positive! Mae recommends implementing a formal survey process that allows you to gather insight on the overall onboarding experience through the lens of the new hire. Their survey is scheduled to go out within the first 30 days on the job, but that can be adjusted based on the credit union’s preference. Overall, Mae has a response rate of 80%, which gives her the opportunity to determine areas of improvement.

In addition, the credit union is in the early phases of implementing checklists for its mentors and supervisors. The checklists are intended to gauge the new employee’s growth based on the experiences they have had in their first 30, 60, and 90 days on the job.

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your role as a Training and Development Specialist?

For those who find continuous learning fulfilling, and dare we say “fun,” it’s easy to dream up new initiatives. But it’s important to not get carried away. Jot the idea down and come back to it later.

These time constraints would be considered her biggest challenge because she eagerly wishes to tackle items on her wish list. For now, she must continue to focus on the basic components of new hire training and knows that she can gradually expand when the opportunity allows for it.

Her advice to you is to stop and take a pulse check before selecting an item on the wish list. The to-do list should come first. She encourages you to solicit feedback on the success of the current program before adding extra layers to it. Do you have a solid foundation to build upon? If not, focus on filling in any cracks and smoothing out the process before starting up a new initiative.

Is there anything else we haven’t touched on that you feel is important for our readers to understand about designing a training plan?

Mae emphasized the importance of creating to-do lists and being open to change, because our industry is ever evolving.

The CUSO Educators Collaboration Group appreciates the opportunity to better understand how education is prioritized within the walls of the credit union. Interested in sharing your story? We aim to continue interviewing in 2026 and want to hear more from you!