Lindsay Jones at Redwood Credit Union in Napa wins North Bay Women in Business award
Lindsay Jones advises women to be curious and unafraid. She is a 2020 North Bay Business Journal Women in Business Awards winner.
Professional background: I’ve worked for Redwood Credit Union for nearly 15 years. Before joining Redwood Credit Union, I worked for AmeriCorps in the Cool School program where I partnered with teachers to develop and implement lesson plans to help bring students to grade level.
Education: Currently attending Santa Rosa Junior College to obtain my AA degree and then will transfer to a university to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in business.
Staff: Redwood Credit Union has 750 employees. I oversee 16 managers and 66 non-management staff.
Tell us about yourself and your company: I’ve worked at Redwood Credit Union for nearly 15 years and have held various positions, including teller, senior member service representative, trainer, branch manager, and regional vice president of branch experience and business development.
I’m passionate about helping people achieve their financial goals and dreams. Working for an organization that has such a positive impact in the lives of its Members, employees, and communities is incredibly rewarding.
Redwood Credit Union has been a trusted, local community credit union since 1950. With $5.1 billion in assets, we serve more than 355,000 Members throughout the North Bay. We are a full-service financial institution offering personal and business banking products at the best value and we’re committed to our Members’ financial well-being. We provide free financial education, information, tools and resources to help our Members make the financial decision that’s right for them.
Is there a major accomplishment in the past year or so that you would like to share?
I’m proud of how Redwood Credit Union responded to the continuously evolving needs of our Members, employees, and communities as a result of the pandemic. We faced the challenge of conditions changing daily and were able to help our people stay healthy, informed, and financially sound.
What is the achievement you are most proud of?
I’ve had many achievements that I’m proud of. There are two that stand out the most: the fact that my husband and I were able to purchase our home in 2019, and my promotion to regional vice president of branch experience and business development. The latter offers me an opportunity to have a bigger impact in the lives of our Members, employees, and communities.
What is your biggest challenge today?
My biggest challenge today is adapting to the new environment and finding the most impactful ways to connect with members and the community. While this is certainly a challenge, changing times brings new and exciting opportunities.
Words that best describe you: Driven, dedicated, positive, and passionate.
In what ways have the pandemic and the shelter-in-place orders changed who you are as a person that will be a part of you long after the pandemic has passed?
The pandemic and shelter-in-place order have made me more appreciative of things that I took for granted—date nights with my husband at our favorite restaurants, family dinners, pool parties, wine tasting, going to the beach, running into the grocery store for a quick pick-up, and most of all hugging my family.
Also, what ways do you think it will change the way you go about your career and your business?
With the shelter in place and social distancing, people have needed to embrace electronic services. We’re utilizing technology to provide financial education virtually rather than face to face and are continuing to promote digital services such as mobile and online banking.
These services allow members to access their accounts 24/7 from the convenience of their home for depositing checks, making loan payments, opening an account, applying for a loan, and more.
And when it comes to the COVID-19 issue, what are some the lessons learned for the business community?
Being adaptable is one of the biggest lessons the business community has learned from the pandemic. In our case, RCU has had to change the way we operate—implementing six-foot social distancing measures, adding plexiglass shields, a minimum number of visitors at one time.
Other businesses have had to adapt too—restaurants offering only take-out, businesses relying on online sales or changing their business model completely (Ford making ventilators and masks, distilleries making hand sanitizer, and apparel companies making personal protective equipment, for instance).
As a successful female professional, what were the biggest obstacles you faced and how did you overcome them?
Work-life balance is probably the biggest obstacle I’ve faced and continue to work on. Like most successful professionals, I love what I do so I don’t always leave work at the office.
