As the chief member experience officer at VyStar Credit Union in Jacksonville, Florida, Joel Swanson focuses on ensuring that the financial institution takes a member-focused approach to everything it does. It’s a strategy that manifests in a variety of ways.

Some of them are experienced by members every day, such as the excellent services and products VyStar provides to its more than 900,000 members. They include great loan rates and benefits such as early direct deposit, rewards on credit cards, low- or no-fee accounts, financial wellness education, interactive touch screen kiosks in branches that provide financial tools, and online financial calculators.

Others involve the larger community as a whole, including support for local events and charitable organizations.

Joel Swanson said it’s an approach that benefits the financial institution’s members, employees, and the communities they serve. “It’s all connected,” Swanson noted, adding that VyStar leadership instilled that idea in the credit union’s motto: “Do Good. Bank Better.”

For example, the credit union’s charitable VyStar Foundation provides corporate sponsorships to nonprofits that focus on programs that help young people, military service members and veterans, and community building.

Recipients in the foundation’s first round of funding included Beaches Habitat for Humanity, Five Star Veterans Center, the Northeast Florida Women Veterans Inc., and the Alachua County Coalition for the Homeless and Hungry. In all, the VyStar Foundation provided a total of almost $200,000 to 10 recipients.

The financial institution also makes arts and culture a target of its community efforts. VyStar recently sponsored the Jax River Jams concert series for a month in Jacksonville. This free event drew thousands to downtown’s Riverfront Plaza to watch a diverse lineup of headliners like “It Wasn’t Me” hitmaker Shaggy, country star Chris Lane, and local indie rock, hip-hop, reggae, and country bands.

Swanson attended the event, calling it an “amazing month of amazing talent” for Jacksonville and the surrounding region. The concert series, which started as a way to bring people back downtown as the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic waned, also featured food trucks on-site. People are allowed to bring chairs and blankets to enjoy the show. VyStar has sponsored the event for three years.

“Everyone knows that VyStar is about doing good in the communities we serve,” Swanson said in a video from the event. “That includes everything there is in that community, whether it’s arts, culture, or musical entertainment.”

He added that bringing the party to Jacksonville “has been really, really meaningful and just wonderful to see.”

A History of Helping People and Supporting Communities

VyStar Credit Union started in 1952 as Jax Navy Federal Credit Union, serving military personnel and civilian employees at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. Operating as a not-for-profit organization, it’s always used the money it makes to improve services to members.

In 2002, the financial institution changed its name to VyStar Credit Union. Since then, it’s experienced substantial growth, expanding to 69 branches in Florida and Georgia and providing services to military service members and veterans all over the world.

Its services also have expanded to include not only traditional banking functions such as savings and checking accounts but also innovations such as online financial management tools.

Today, VyStar, which started with 12 members and $60, has more than $13 billion in assets. Despite the growth, VyStar remains true to its roots, with a commitment to personalized service, community involvement, and the financial well-being of its members.

Joel Swanson said that in addition to growth in membership, the credit union has focused on innovations in technology that can improve the delivery of services to members, including better self-service options.

Joel Swanson Brings Extensive Experience to VyStar Credit Union

Joel Swanson brings a diverse professional background to his role as VyStar’s chief member experience officer. Before joining VyStar, he worked as a business systems analyst at Schroeder Consulting Services from 2006 to 2007. Following that, he dedicated 11 years of his career to Alaska USA Federal Credit Union in Anchorage.

During his tenure at Alaska USA Federal Credit Union, Swanson held various positions of increasing responsibility. He served as the senior business systems analyst from 2007 to 2011 before becoming applications supervisor from 2011 to 2012. He then worked from 2012 to 2017 as the vice president of electronic services, before becoming senior vice president of branch administration.

Swanson also is an active member of the community as an individual. He serves on the board of the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens and the Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida. Additionally, he served previously as chair of the Light the Night Executive Committee for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

In his job as chief membership experience officer, Swanson focuses on providing a personalized, simplified experience to every member of the credit union. His background in technology has served him well in this space. He’s especially interested in what fintech brings to the table, something he said the VyStar leadership team agrees on.

He said in a recent interview that while awareness of the competitive challenges of fintech and tech companies in the financial services industry is important, committing to taking action that improves services to customers is key. VyStar leadership, he said, is willing to take those steps.

“The whole leadership team here at VyStar is aligned and works together on defining the strategy,” he said. He later added, “It is so fun to be first and to have a CEO, a management team, and a board that wants us to be first.”