By Ray Birch
SALEM, Ore.—What really drove Rachel Pross to post on LinkedIn her concerns over alleged sexist and demeaning behavior by a number of men during CUNA’s recent GAC, were comments from a young female attendee at the meeting.
As CUToday.info reported, Pross, chief risk officer with Maps Credit Union here, outlined several instances of alleged harassment by men at CUNA’s meeting in a post that quickly went viral, generating more than 100 comments in response, and leading to CUNA president and CEO Jim Nussle to state such behavior can no longer be tolerated.
Pross emphasized in her post that in the midst of the #MeToo Movement, “Credit unions can do better. Really.”
Pross told CUToday.info what ultimately led her to share her feelings publicly were comments from a young GAC “Crasher,” who at the outset of the conversation told Pross she was surprised at the behavior from men.
“While my own 2019 GAC experience was disappointing, to say the least, what really struck me was a very brief conversation I’d had with a female GAC Crasher early in the week,” recalled Pross. “She had leaned in and whispered while looking around the room, ‘Is it always this way?’”
Pross said the young woman was referring to alleged inappropriate comments and actions by older, male credit union executives and board members.
Rachel Pross
“The more I thought about that, the more deeply it bothered me,” Pross said. “When I got back home, I decided that as a seasoned female executive in this industry, I had an obligation to set an example and send a clear message that it is OK to talk about these things. More than that, it’s necessary that we talk about these things, and it’s necessary that we openly condemn sexism in our industry and do something about it.”
Bad First Impression
Moreover, Pross was concerned about the impression that talented young women might be getting about credit unions.
“These Crashers are our future, and they will move mountains given the right opportunities,” Pross said. “How can we expect them to shine when the cards are stacked against them from the very moment they first dream of leadership in the credit union movement?”
Pross said she has been overwhelmed by the positive feedback she’s received from her post, both by the more than 110 comments that appeared quickly on LinkedIn, and also from personal messages.
“I’ve been blown away by the reaction,” said Pross. “First of all, I want to thank Jim Nussle. When I first posted that article, I deliberately left it off of Twitter. Part of me was concerned I could cast a negative light on our industry in the public eye, and LinkedIn was a more targeted audience. But lo and behold, Jim posted it on Twitter. That took guts.”
‘Experiences Far Worse Than My Own’
In addition to messages posted publicly for registered LinkedIn users to see, Pross has also received well over 100 private LinkedIn messages, as well as emails, texts, and phone calls supporting her position.
“Since I first clicked ‘publish,’ women have shared stories with me that have been heartbreaking and infuriating—experiences far worse than my own. I won’t share them, because they were sent privately for a reason, but I’ve received an incredible outpouring of support. Many women—and men—have reached out simply to say thanks,” Pross said.
What Pross has not heard are apologies from any of the men who allegedly behaved badly at GAC and whom she deliberately did not identify.
“That’s OK,” Pross said. “I wasn’t looking for apologies when I wrote the article. I’ve had a few well-meaning people ask if I’m OK. Of course, I’m OK. I’m not curled up sobbing about what happened. Believe me, I’m fired up.”
‘Time to Grow Up’
While Pross was not surprised at the lack of apologies, she said she was somewhat taken aback by the behavior she witnessed and things she heard.
“I am nowhere near perfect, and I think all of us can recount words and actions from the past that we regret later. That’s human and that’s part of growing up, even as a professional,” she said. “I guess I’ll just go back to what I wrote in my post—we can’t tout our family oriented, not-for-profit, feel-good, opposite-of-Wall-Street, altruistic, people-oriented nature and then behave just like everyone else. We have to hold ourselves to a higher standard. The things I personally experienced, witnessed, and heard about by multiple trusted sources at GAC this year were unacceptable, period. It’s time for us to grow up and end this garbage once and for all.”
No Misgivings
Pross said she didn’t have serious misgivings about posting her thoughts, noting she has received only a few negative comments.
“I was never scared to post this,” said Pross. “I wasn’t arrogant about it and knew it could get some backlash, but I don’t think we can go wrong when we stand up for what’s true and what’s right. There have been a few ‘too-bad-her-career’s-over’ type comments, but those have been the tiny minority. I’m also really fortunate to work for an organization that has my back. My boss and my peers are 100% supportive, and they’ve never made me feel less than equal to my male counterparts.”
Pross said she believes incidents of sexual harassment can decline within credit unions and the industry can improve.
“I know things can change. I wouldn’t have written that article just to vent. I wrote it because I have abundant hope in our industry, and I firmly believe we can do better,” she said. “The vast majority of credit union folks are amazing, wonderful, talented, competent, professional people. It’s time for us to call out the bad behavior and root toxic individuals out from our industry. Just a few can cause tremendous damage. It’s time for them to learn how to behave or be held accountable for making the choice not to.”
A Diversity Problem
Pross also believes there is a diversity and inclusion problem inside credit unions.
“I really believe it is equally important that we continue moving the conversation forward around the statistic that 50% of credit union CEOs are women, because that does not depict reality. Our industry has a diversity and inclusion problem—and not just based on gender. Having the occasional breakout session on the topic isn’t going to fix it. The statistics we tout at national events need to be accurate and not misleading in any way, and our industry should rally around measurable goals for changing those statistics for the better. We have work to do.”
During March, CUToday.info has been featuring other women's voices, addressing issues facing them in the workplace: