“It’s always been our dream to have a house on a lake,” said Sara Sheahan, CEO of Rockford Municipal Employees Credit Union. “We’re moving to Wisconsin on Beaver Dam Lake, halfway between Milwaukee and Madison.”
When looking back on her 40+ year career in the credit union movement, Sara is most proud of opening the credit union’s current location from its previous office inside of city facilities. “We finally had our own building with a drive through and could set our own hours instead of having to limit ourselves to the operating hours of the city,” said Sara.
Although the building was previously occupied by another financial institution, there was considerable renovations which had to take place before they could open their doors. In addition to a desperately needed cosmetic refresh, the outdated drive through system was replaced and the building façade was modified to comply with current ADA standards.
“It was a really big deal for us,” said Sara. “At the time, not all of our members wanted us to move because they felt the city office was more convenient. They are happy now because we have expanded hours and a drive through.”
Sara began her working at Rockford CIE & G Credit Union in the early 1980s. “It was tough to get a job when I first graduated, so I decided to take the job at the credit union to get some experience and then move on. Now its 40 years later and I’m finishing my career,” said Sara. “I found a wonderful community and stayed.”
Sara moved to Swedish American Credit Union in 1988, serving as CEO until 1995 when she moved to Rockford Municipal where she has served for 27 years as CEO. Her advice to new employees is “find a mentor and get as much education as you can. Learn about credit union history, philosophy, and values.”
She also encourages people to get involved with their chapters. “I loved being on the board of the H.O. Perlee (now Rockford Area) Chapter. It helped me meet so people who were instrumental in my career,” stated Sara.
“People were so welcoming when I started working in credit unions,” Sara said. She is grateful to her mentors such as Charlie Watters who was board chairman and to Merrill Theviot who was the League Representative.
“COVID was tough because my biggest concern was keeping our staff safe. There was added stress and less support because our local group of CEOs couldn’t get together like we had done for so many years. I felt isolated,” Sara said.
Sara is devoted to credit unions and hopes they shine brightly in the future, “I am happy our credit union found my replacement rather than merging. Small credit unions are so important to the movement,” she said.
Once she is retired, Sara, her husband, Tom, and their two cats, Shasta and Buster, will move out of Illinois. “Even though I am moving to Wisconsin, I am not going to the dark side and becoming a Packer fan. Chicago Bears forever.”
