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44 | WINTER 2020 Spotlight Team Member Spotlight A s the official Financial Wellness provider for Envoy Air employees, American Airlines Federal Credit Union is involved with numerous initiatives to assist member-owners on their financial journeys. Branch Manager Jackie Gaston plays a big part by organizing Financial Wellness events at the Envoy Headquarters Building in Irving, Texas. "We hold quarterly lunch-and-learns covering topics such as 'The Five Best Ways to Improve Your Credit Score,' 'Identity Theft' and 'Planning a Budget,'" Gaston says. "We also do a lot of the Flagship Financial Group seminars. So, we have both ends of the spectrum concerning financial education for our members." When members meet with Gaston and her team, they are getting a wealth of experience and knowledge. "The Credit Union has educated our frontline staff to all be financial advocates," she explains. "The first point of contact is our frontline and they are a crucial piece. Through the Financial Wellness Department, a series of webinars were compiled to educate our staff to be able to recognize the importance of credit repair and provide a pathway to improve our members' credit." Before settling into her current role, Gaston spent years in a variety of Credit Union positions, including credit education. She started at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport 20 years ago as a provisional in credit education. From there she moved into a role in the phone center, then on to the ATM department and then vacation relief before returning to credit education. B E H I N D T H E S C E N E S : B Y JA M E S M AY F I E L D So what does Gaston like best about the branch manager position she's had for the past two years? "Whether it's helping a member or helping somebody on my team, I just love all the different hats I get to wear," she says. "We visit each of the flight attendant training and mechanic classes telling them about the benefits of the Credit Union. And the times when I'm reviewing a credit report with the members as they are sitting in front of me, I still have a tendency to give them advice. It must be the mother in me." For more information on Financial Wellness and seminars the Credit Union is holding in the Envoy office and other locations, visit FinancialWellness.AACreditUnion.org or call (833) FIN WELL (833-346-9355). Financial Wellness Meet one of the branch managers helping Credit Union members find financial freedom For more on Flagship Financial Group, see Page 43.