Amy Hysell

Q: What most notably stands out about your leadership style or what is an example of leadership success you can share with our readers?

In every step of my 30-year career with Arizona Financial, I have tried to lead with integrity and transparency, and ensure all employees have access to the information and resources they need to be successful. I am deeply invested in the culture and keep our employees and members at the heart of all decisions made. I try to act as a servant leader to honor the humanity of everyone I have the privilege of working and interacting with in the community.

One of the key programs that I am proud to support as a leader is our very robust Employe Engagement Group program. We have an array of groups for our employees to join and align with other co-workers who have similar backgrounds and interests. This not only benefits the individual to give them opportunity to collaborate with and learn from each other outside of “normal” work, but it benefits us as an organization to foster those connections, which make better employees and, in turn, better for our members. I love when I have the opportunity to roll up my sleeves and volunteer with some of these groups. It really is a point of pride for me and Arizona Financial.

Q: What impact has any disruptions of the past 18 months had on you as a leader?

As with many other financial institutions, we were in need of deposits. Consumers were feeling uncertain after some bank failures in California. We developed a plan, worked the plan, and far exceeded our deposit growth goals.

The impact of seeing my team achieve what was difficult to do when most other institutions were competing for deposits — it reenforced the strength and commitment of my team to each other and to the organization’s success.

Additionally, as our credit union has expanded in the last two years through acquisitions, changed our charter to be able to serve the entire state and continued expanding our services, it forced me and our leadership team to think even more about the future. With growth comes challenges, and, much like the press for deposits, our team has taken on those challenges head-on to the benefit of our members. I am very excited for what the next few years will look like for us.

Q: What do you feel we can be doing as a business community to empower economic growth here?

The one thing we as a business community can do that will have immense economic impact is to prioritize banking locally. By depositing money in a bank or credit union that operates locally, you empower us to prioritize financing for local businesses and offer the personalized banking they need and deserve. In our partnership with Local First Arizona, we work hard to educate individuals and businesses to find a local financial institution in lieu of larger mega banks. Local financial institutions know the communities they operate in and can work closely with small businesses looking for financing. I cannot overstate the importance of this simple act for the betterment of our community’s long-term economic health.

With all the growth around the Valley, I think another important thing we can do as individuals and businesses is find ways to spend locally. Small businesses are the life-blood of our community. Prioritizing where we spend our money, or vendors we may choose for our busineses, makes all the difference. Sometimes this might mean we spend a little more on a particular good or service but, in the long run, those extra dollars go to support these small business owners that provide jobs for others in our community.

When small businesses do good, our community at large benefits. Being mindful of this cycle of banking and spending locally is a challenge I would put to all of us in the business community.

Q: What is new and notable for your company’s near future that will impact our economy?

We’re expanding our small business and SBA loan programs in 2025. As one of the only locally based credit unions that holds the SBA Preferred Lending partner status, we can fast-track the approval process to get loans done quickly for our members.

We’re also adding branches in Chandler, Queen Creek and the Biltmore area over the next few years, which will result in new jobs and additional access to financial services in those areas.

Perhaps most exciting, we’ll be launching the Arizona Financial Foundation to increase our impact throughout the state through grant programs and volunteer activities.