ATLANTA - Heiwote (Heiwi) Tadesse has been promoted to Vice President of the Contact Center at the $1.4 billion Associated Credit Union.
"Raised in Ethiopia, her move to the United States to attend Mercer University studying Business Administration was a culture shock, to say the least. While some of her struggles were similar to those of typical freshman college students – like learning to boil water for the first time – others involved a little more, including learning how to navigate her previous notions of this new country," the credit union said. "Tadesse grew up in a school where children from 60 different nationalities attended. Taught from a young age to accept all cultures, she learned how to relate to people very different from herself. Her mother, one of her biggest role models, worked at the male-dominated UN. She taught Tadesse about the importance of empathy, understanding, and tolerance for others. Her mother, focused on empowering women, taught the females in their third world country how to make money and thrive, despite their societal shortcomings."
Working at a large bank part time showed Tadesse that she did not relate to the pushy sales culture, according to Associated CU. She began working at Associated Credit Union in 2000, and realized that the warm, family atmosphere of a credit union was where she fit in. Hired as a BSR Floater, she then switched to the Main Office as a phone representative, and then moved to Collections for ten years. From Collections, she became a lead in the Loan Department. From there she was promoted to Assistant Vice President of Collections – which she renamed Asset Recovery to better encompass everything the department handles. After being in that position for three years, she was moved to AVP of the Contact Center. After being in that position for only seven months, she received a promotion in February 2017 to Vice President of the Contact Center. Tadesse says she could not have made these leaps without the support system that she had backing her throughout her entire journey at ACU.
“I attribute a lot of my success to Greg Connor [Executive Vice President/Lending], who has mentored me and constantly pushed me to be my best self,” said Tadesse. “He never puts people down, and was very encouraging and uplifting while opening the doors for me to move up to management.”
Tadesse takes many of her leadership styles from her mother and hopes to empower others by showing them that they too can achieve success in a business world, no matter their background. She spends much of her time identifying future leaders at Associated Credit Union, and investing time in their growth and maturity.
“Coaching and mentoring brings me to work every day,” said Tadesse. “I want my team to know that they can come to me as a support system, because I truly want to help them grow and achieve more.”
Tadesse has worked hard to reach this position, and her dedication and loyalty to ACU has not gone unrecognized. Her success story is one that makes other women of color at Associated Credit Union know that with hard work, and a solid support system, they too can advance their careers and move forward.
In her spare time, Tadesse continues to encourage and build up others. She gives financial counseling to immigrants at the International Rescue Committee in Clarkston, GA. She also works with an orphanage in Ethiopia, currently providing housing, clothing, food, and private education to four children. With everything that she touches, she strives to make the world a better place.
Tadesse also has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Strayer Unive