NAFCU Journal May June 2021

38 THE NAFCU JOURNAL May–June 2021 EXECUTIVE SPOTLIGHT Q: What led you to the credit union sector, and to ESL Federal Credit Union? A: I had been working at a bank in Buffalo and the opportunity for advance- ment as a financial analyst came up at ESL back in 1991, known then as East- man Savings & Loan Association. When I joined, ESL was a savings and loan associ- ation strictly for Eastman Kodak employ- ees and their families. In 1995, we became independent from Kodak and in 1996 we revised our charter to officially become a federal credit union, and we’ve been ESL Federal Credit Union ever since. It has been a truly amazing ride at ESL over my almost 30 years with the company. To be a part of the awesome 100-year history of this financial institution, the legacy of George Eastman and continuing to contribute to the growth of ESL today and serving our community has been a true honor. Q: What’s your leadership style? How do you lead an engaged team? A: First, our core values are ingrained throughout our culture. These values of caring about people, teamwork, accountability, integrity, and initiative consistently live at the forefront of my mind. All of our thoughts and actions are centered on these values. They drive our interactions with each other internally and externally with our members, vendor partners and larger community. With these values in mind, I seek to ensure that my team feels true ownership of our strategy and plans through full participation in their development and execution. When a variety of views, ideas and opinions are welcome and sense of valuing shared accomplishment exists, it establishes an extremely high level of engagement. Q: Why is community service and philanthropy important to you and ESL Federal Credit Union? A: ESL’s purpose is to help our commu- nity thrive and prosper, and one vital way to do that is through community service and philanthropic efforts that build a healthy, resilient and equitable Greater Rochester for all. We understand the symbiotic relationship we have with our community. ESL thrives only if the com- munity thrives, so we have a vested inter- est to go beyond the traditional banking products and services that can positively impact a community and empower individuals and families to live financially healthy lives. Through our philanthropic efforts, we have identified key areas of focus that can help Greater Rochester move toward community-wide prosper- ity. This includes expanding individual opportunity for the community when it comes to accessing quality education and employment opportunities, and building strong neighborhoods that are affordable and connected. We have grown our phil- anthropic efforts significantly at ESL over the past few years with approximately $20 million donated in 2020 and more than $40 million reinvested in the community since 2018. On the community service side, we have giving, community-conscious employees who love to give back. Our VolunCare Program at ESL gives every employee time to volunteer at the nonprofit of their choice throughout the year. A large majority participate in the program and we often log thousands of hours a year in volunteer time among our employees. Q: How do you prioritize diversity and inclusion, both within your credit union and in terms of the community you serve? A: First and foremost, diversity, equity and inclusion has to be built into the organizational strategy and its supporting plans and measures—and it is at ESL. For example, in our strategic plan, a key initiative is to cultivate a workforce that mirrors the Greater Rochester commu- nity. Not only must we recruit a diverse workforce that mirrors the commu- nity, but we must ensure that diversity exists at all levels of the organization, every employee at ESL feels welcome and respected and every employee has FAHEEM MASOOD President and CEO, ESL Federal Credit Union