Evers says although she had been a credit union member since the age of eight, that CUES assignment marked the beginning of her working with credit unions in a consulting capacity. She would move on to serve as director of human resource consulting services for CUNA and later formed her own company, Y.M. Evers Consulting Services, Inc., where she specialized in human resource work for credit unions throughout the country.

In 2001, HRValue Group, an HR consulting practice jointly owned by multiple credit union leagues and CUNA Mutual Group, made Evers an offer she couldn't refuse.

"I like working with organizations that have a mission and what the company stands for has always been very important to me," said Evers. "The HRValue Group board convinced me that it would be wildly exciting to grow a national practice dedicated to helping credit unions and I'm happy they did–it has been such a rewarding experience." With a focus on stabilizing the company, generating revenue and building a brand, Evers had to basically start over, which involved letting most of the previous staffers go. With a management style that is based on trust, having the right staff in place was the foundation to build upon. "I don't micromanage and have a lot of trust in my staff so I set the strategic direction, we talk on a regular basis about goals and I give them the freedom to do their thing," said Evers. "So I look for entrepreneurs who are self motivated, have great consulting/executive search skills and are interested in building relationships."

Evers says relationships are what distinguish HRValue Group from the competition.

"We don't just sign a contract with the client, do the work and leave, our focus is to be that credit union's partner so we often get calls that may not just be HR questions but are asking for guidance with a particular situation or issue and we'll give them ideas or steer them to resources that can help."

It must be working. Under Evers leadership, the team of 12 has helped HRValue Group expand and refine its services to include: an exclusive approach to executive search, management training programs, wage/salary program administration, human resource policy manuals, employee handbooks, performance management systems, organizational structure analysis and incentive pay programs. In addition, the company has over 800 credit union clients in 46 different states and its revenue has been growing by 25% to 30% per year. With a strong brand identity independent of Evers and such a great team in place, she says the future is bright for HRValue Group. "My leaving should not cause any client concern because there are truly excellent, knowledgeable people here who can continue to fulfill their mission of helping credit unions to be successful," said Evers. "My time here has been challenging, interesting and rewarding but I can leave the company knowing that it will continue to grow." As for her take on the credit union industry as a whole, she says that given a future facing a lot of turnover and movement, the greatest challenge continues to be in human capital management and recruiting the right CU leaders.

"I think it is extremely important to find good leaders and train them," said Evers. "I've always found it interesting that too often credit unions will provide teller level training but provide no similar training focus for the management team. Have a strong management training program in place so there is always a successor not only ready to fill in at your credit union but can also perhaps leave and successfully run another credit union. Credit unions are missing out on developing their leadership from within."

Given her love of the credit union philosophy and mission she is hoping her new career won't take her too far away from the credit union movement. –[email protected]