What’s Inside?
In this episode of The Eltropy Exchange, host Michael Pupil sits down with Michelle Perry, Assistant Vice President of Consumer Lending at ABNB Federal Credit Union, to talk about building strong, resilient teams in lending and collections, navigating change, and leading with empathy.
With over 35 years in credit unions, Michelle brings a rare combination of operational insight and human-first leadership. She shares how she’s earned trust by working alongside her teams, why culture starts with care, and how a few pranks can signal you’ve truly been accepted. Her approach to leadership is grounded in honesty, flexibility, and letting people show up as themselves.
Michelle also discusses how she introduces technology to a multigenerational team, what she looks for when making workflows smarter, and why automation should make work more human, not less. From shifting communication strategies to rolling out texting, chat, and screen simplification, Michelle shows how innovation is best led from within.
Whether you’re leading a team or just trying to connect better with yours, this episode offers practical, candid insight into what strong leadership really looks like inside a credit union.
- ABNB Federal Credit Union, Collections Management, Credit Union Leadership, Credit Union Modernization, Eltropy Exchange, Leading Through Change, Lending Operations, Michael Pupil, Michelle Perry
Michelle Perry
AVP of Consumer Lending
Michelle Perry is the Assistant Vice President of Consumer Lending at ABNB Federal Credit Union. She has over 35 years of Credit Union experience, beginning as a Member Service Associate and advancing to AVP. Throughout her career, Michelle has worked in various areas, including Mortgage Lending and Servicing, though her primary focus has been on Consumer Lending and Collections. As AVP, she oversees Mortgage Servicing, Consumer Servicing, Consumer Lending, Card Services, and Collections. In her leisure time, Michelle engages in needlepointing, reading, and spending time with friends and family at Lake Gaston.
