Kathy Jumper, who grew up in Arizona, would often spend summers visiting Orange County to see relatives and enjoy attractions like Disneyland.
Now after spending 27 years as a banker elsewhere in the country, she’s made her way to OC.
“Orange County is such a dream location, perfect in so many ways,” Jumper, a resident of Corona del Mar, told the Business Journal. “It’s a coming home for me.”
In August, Jumper became chief executive of Orange County’s Credit Union, replacing Lucy Ito, who came out of retirement to fill the role on an interim basis for the past year.
Jumper’s “exceptional ability to spearhead growth initiatives, improve member experiences, and successfully enter new markets makes her the perfect candidate to lead the credit union to unprecedented success for our associates, members, and communities,” Ito said in a statement at the time of Jumper’s hiring.
“She embodies the leadership and cultural values our credit union associates and members deserve, and we look forward to her guiding the future of the credit union’s culture, strategy and community impact.”
The Santa Ana-based bank ranks No. 4 on the Business Journal’s annual list of credit unions, reporting $2.5 billion in assets as of June 30, a 3.7% rise from the prior year (see list, page 28).
It employes 360 and has 140,000 members.
Banking Expertise
In the 1990s, Jumper began working in executive roles, starting with Nevada State Bank, then moving to Colonial Bank, Capitol Bancorp and Fifth Third Bank.
Her education includes ABA Executive Banking School and an MBA from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Her last two jobs have been at credit unions: chief operating officer at InTouch Credit Union in Texas and chief retail officer at Members 1st Federal Credit Union in Pennsylvania.
At Members 1st, she oversaw 60 branches and drove organic membership growth by implementing membership appreciation strategies and lean process improvements to create smoother and easier processes for members, according to Orange County’s Credit Union.
Last year, the American Banker magazine named Jumper one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Credit Unions. She also currently serves on the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions (NAFCU) Regulatory and Cyber Committee.
Listening Start
During her first two months on the job, she hasn’t made any dramatic changes. Instead, she’s had 50 one-on-one meetings with executives and more than 20 team meetings.
“Listening is really important to me,” Jumper said. “You have to bet on people.
“We are going to grow. We’re going to be relevant to the communities where we serve.”
One issue facing credit unions as well as banks is the future of branches, which have been disappearing in recent years as more transactions go online. The credit union has 10 branches.
“I was just asked that question this morning when I was speaking to a group of branch managers,” Jumper said last week.
“A decade ago, there were predictions that branches were dying. It’s quite the opposite, they’re a staple to the community.”
She intends to keep branches, saying its part of the model to provide high level services.
“As much as the internet is our friend, consumers and business owners still come into a bank branch. When they come in, they want to be met by that expert who takes them to a different level, to find out where they are in their life. We’re prepared for that.
“We have highly trained associates that can take conversation deeper for them.”
While credit unions are known for consumer focus, Orange County’s Credit Union also has a niche with small to medium size businesses, which gives Jumper a deeper understanding of the local economy.
“What we’re seeing from our members is they are optimistic yet cautious,” she said.
Next month, the credit union is celebrating its 85th anniversary with a weeklong series of events for its customers.
“It’s a strong financial institution that has an 85-year legacy in an amazing place.”
