Member Spotlight: R. Jeffery Harris

CUNA Councils
October 4, 2006

Born and raised in Clarksville, Tennessee, R. Jeffery Harris has worked in banking since the age of 18, while he was attending college. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance/accounting and an MBA. Currently he is CFO at Fort Campbell Federal Credit Union, which primarily serves the military community at Fort Campbell, Kentucky (101st Airborne Division, Air Assault).

With the exception of a brief stint in the commercial lending division of

a regional bank in Nashville, Jeffery primarily has a background in operations. He joined Fort Campbell Federal Credit Union as accounting manager in 1993. He went back to school and passed all four parts of the CPA exam in 2001 on the first try. Jeffery was promoted to vice president of finance in 2006.

“Currently we have 20,000 soldiers deployed to Iraq, which is a constant

challenge for our credit union,” says Jeffery. “As part of our outreach to members, we as employees go out and greet the incoming flights at the hangars and welcome home our soldiers and serve refreshments to the ecstatic families. We expect a multi-million drawdown of deposits upon their return as they start spending money they have accumulated all year. In October we expect to merge with a smaller credit union in our area that serves a local school system. Our newly granted community charter will hopefully help us diversify our membership and some of the risks associated with serving a military community, but they continue to be the major part of our membership.”

Biggest challenge for 2006

An upcoming merger with an $11-million credit union on October 31, coupled with the return of our military members from Iraq in August and September.

Best advice

Stay abreast of current issues and trends by getting away from your credit union to learn.

Greatest benefit of being a council member

The daily responses from the Listserv and the opportunity to network with other CFOs.

Best part of your job

A new challenge every day and the ability to be part of the big-picture decision-making process; going to bed each night knowing I did something good for a member.

Hardest part of your job

Balancing what is good for the credit union versus giving members what they want.

Success story

We are an over-capitalized credit union and last year gave back $650,000 to members in refunds and extraordinary dividends. This year we plan on giving back a cool one million.

Hobbies and interests

Water skiing, jet skiing, winemaking, bike riding, working out in the gym

People would be most surprised to learn that I . . .

1. Auditioned for the TV show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

2. Can smoke, drink, and party like a rock star beneath my starched-and- stuffed-shirt persona!

Most recent book

James Patterson’s The Lifeguard

Life goal yet accomplished

Giving up the condo life for a place in the country with a dog and a hot tub in the backyard

Something that always makes you laugh

Pulling a practical joke on one of the other two VPs here, or better yet, the CEO!

If I had an extra hour in the day . . .

I would ride my bike in the park a little longer.