SOUTH BEND, Ind.--John Wilkening, Chief Retail Officer of Notre Dame Federal Credit Union was chosen as Professional of the Year by the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions.
A native of Chicagoland, raised in the Goose Island neighborhood of Whiting, Ind, Wilkening graduated from Indiana State University with a Bachelor of Science in Communication and Public Relations. Upon arrival at Notre Dame FCU in March of 2015, Wilkening took immediate action in training his team to turn them into Financial Physicians, the CU said. "His mantra during his 25 years in banking has been to change a life a day, and this has been instilled in each partner (employee) at Notre Dame FCU. His team of knowledgeable Financial Physicians are now trained to do the best thing for the Member with each interaction—no matter what," the CU said. "While many retail leaders out there are good at sales and business development, no one does it like John. He not only genuinely cares about our partners, but the community as well. The culture that John creates by putting the employee first generates incredible morale. This rare mix provides just the right culture to lead to phenomenal results for the organization as a whole,” said Notre Dame FCU President and CEO, Tom Gryp.