The DE Difference | Ashley Kjenaas
A Spotlight on the impact of DE training and the projects that attendees have brought to life.
Name: Ashley Kjenaas 
Organization: NorthRidge Community Credit Union
Title: Marketing Coordinator
When did you attend DE Training: October 2023
Why did you decide to attend DE training? When I started working for NorthRidge about 4 years ago, I wasn’t even sure I understood what a credit union was or why they were different from banks. My President/CEO spent time with me during my onboarding to explain the credit union philosophy, the mission, and the cooperative principals. Ever since then, my passion has grown immensely for the credit union movement. When my CEO attended virtual DE, he talked about the experience a lot and how impactful it was. I remember thinking, how could this already extremely passionate-for-credit-unions person get even more passionate? I asked him if it was something I could do too, and he was fully supportive.
What were your thoughts about DE training before you arrived/attended? I knew only what my CEO had talked about it and what information I could find online… but until you’ve actually attended DE training firsthand, there is no way to anticipate correctly what you’re about to experience. I was excited, I anticipated an emotional week, I knew my love for credit unions would probably continue to grow.
How did DE change you? DE changed my life, professionally and personally. When I got home that Saturday, I must have cried the rest of the day. It’s a long week, it’s hard, it’s heavy, it’s emotional, it’s stressful… but you’re not alone, you’re surrounded by people that have the biggest hearts and share the same mission and values. DE deepened my ability to empathize without over-empathizing. It lit a fire in my soul and empowered me – I felt for the first time ever that I really could make an impact – I could be the catalyst for positive change in my community. DE opened my eyes to so many development issues we face as a nation and around the world. Things we know are problems, but maybe not the time to really sit with and think about – DE makes you think about it. But it doesn’t stop there, DE makes you think about it, and DE makes you think about how to help solve it.
What were your top three takeaways from DE training? My biggest takeaways were that 1. The credit union movement from its inception has always been about solving more than just financial difficulties; 2. No matter your title, you CAN make a difference 3. Trust. The. Process!
How did you incorporate what you learned at DE into your job? DE is at the forefront of my mind in everything I do as a marketer. I think about how my credit union messages will be perceived by someone who is potentially struggling with any of the development issues – Is this helpful for them? If not, how can I make it so? If I can’t make it so, is it still important enough to make it public? DE completely changed my approach to credit union marketing in that way.
DE project: Installing Little Free Pantries at all 5 of our credit union branch locations.