Leyden Credit Union CEO and president David Lukas recently celebrated his 25th anniversary working with the company.
Q: Where did you grow up and go to school?
A: I grew up in Franklin Park. I went East Leyden High School. I went to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Q: When did you start working at Leyden Credit Union?
A: I started working at Leyden Credit Union in 1993. When I was first hired, I was a part-time teller. By the end of the year, the managers asked me if I wanted to pick up extra hours by doing office work in the evenings. Then, I was offered a full-time position.
Q: You recently celebrated your 25th anniversary working at Leyden Credit Union. What do you think was your biggest accomplishment?
A: It was probably getting through the Great Recession. A lot of credit unions and banks folded during that time. The most challenging was when we moved from our previous location on Grand Avenue to our current location on 25th Avenue.
Q: What are your responsibilities as the CEO and president?
A: I oversee the whole operation. I have a management team of four other managers that I oversee. My prime responsibility is to lead the credit union to grow. I want to maintain our financial strengths and [provide] good stewardship to our members’ money and assets.
Q: Who do you credit helping you throughout the 25 years?
A: I wouldn’t be here without the support of a really good board of directors and my staff. It has led me to where we’ve gotten.
Q: What do you like the most about working at Leyden Credit Union?
A: I like having a positive effect on people’s financial lives. We like helping people out of jams when they need a loan. We want people to put themselves in a position to really be successful financially.
Q: What do you like to do for fun?
A: When I’m not working, I devote my time to dog agility. Dog agility is running with your dog around an obstacle course.