Janet Walters
Janet M. Walters currently is an independent Small Business Operations Consultant. She started consulting subsequent to leaving the retail banking/credit union industry after more than thirty years. Her extensive background includes, but is not limited to the following organizational development areas: business operations and retail banking, social media marketing, small business and strategic planning, diversity, leadership development, performance systems assessment, and empowerment.
Previously, Ms. Walters worked as Chief Operating Officer at San Diego Medical Federal Credit Union (SDMFCU) San Diego, CA. Paul Lewis, CEO SDMFCU selected Ms. Walters to oversee critical areas within the organization that required urgent and quick response to resolve outstanding regulatory findings. Her background and expertise in real estate and consumer underwriting enabled her to immediately place into practice revised policies and procedures to monitor at risk mortgage loans that threatened the institution’s viability. The credit union avoided conservatorship by federal regulators. Mr. Lewis expressed his appreciation to Ms. Walters for jumping right in and providing a stable working environment for employees. He had just lost a key staff member, leaving a gap in leadership.
Ms. Walters spent over 20 years at USA Federal Credit Union (USAFCU) San Diego, CA in various leadership and Vice President Positions. She was appointed interim CEO after the sudden death of the seated President/CEO. USAFCU served military and civilian personnel aboard military installations worldwide. Their field of membership also included select employer groups (SEGs), and underserved communities. As Vice President of Process Improvement she was responsible for productivity and technology solutions to innovate and manage the Retail Banking Operations and Small Business Units, removing barriers that affected service. The credit union has since merged with Navy Federal Credit Union (2010).
In her role as Vice President of Branch Support she executed and planned strategies driving performance of retail banking operations and sales. She led cross functional teams and was the project manager for USAFCU’s newly formed Small Business Deposit Unit and related programs. Ms. Walters’s international career spans more than 15 years serving as Vice President of Overseas Operations working in Asia in countries of Japan, South Korea, and U.S. Territory of Guam.
Her region for two consecutive years was number one in sales out pacing her domestic counterpart. The Board of Directors elected Ms. Walters to her first corporate vice president position in December 1999. She was the first woman and person of color in over 40 years to serve in that role. She managed a 150 resource team for the following areas but not limited to: retail banking operations, marketing, business development, lending, sales management, and 23 global branch locations. She was the key person to oversee strategic branch mergers & acquisitions. She also was responsible for site selection of new branch locations, working directly with builders and facilities team to ensure on time delivery.
Before joining the credit union industry, she spent over 10 years with Bank of America as a corporate banking officer in California where she held positions of increasing responsibility in retail banking sales, branch management, and small business development and acquisition. Ms. Walters is a graduate from a two-year program organized from CUNA Management School at Pomona College Pomona, CA. She holds a Certificate of completion for the Ritz Carlton Executive Education Series Atlanta, GA. She attended Ashford University where she studied and completed courses in marketing and business administration. She is a two time honoree of the San Diego Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business Award.