In Celebration of International Women’s Day: Get to Know Gaby Regan

While International Women’s Day was earlier in March, we needed more than one day to celebrate the wonderful women who contribute so much to the Jeanne D’Arc team! Throughout the month we will highlight Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Robin Lorenzen, Vice President-Branch Administration, Kate Dame, Vice President-Commercial Lending, Kara Doyle, Vice President Member Contact Center, Anexis Sanchez, Branch Officer, Gaby Regan, Assistant Branch Manager, Runny Huoth, and Operational Risk Specialist, Katherine Rojo as they share with us their professional journey, advice they would give to their younger self, valuable lessons they’ve learn along the way, and more.

Today, we spotlight Gaby Regan, Branch Officer (Dracut Bridge St. Branch).

What was your journey that led you to Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union?

My mom has worked for Jeanne D’Arc since 2001. Since I was young, I always tagged along to volunteer events and even came to work with her when childcare wasn’t available to her on a Saturday. The summer before I started college, my mom suggested that I interview for a temporary position at the Lowell headquarters. I was hired and got to work with an amazing group of women who, in the past couple of years, have become indispensable to this organization: Kelly Jackson, Melissa Surun, Katie Allard, and Melissa Dandrea. When my temporary position ended, I applied for a part-time position with the mortgage processing team where I spent a little over a year. Finally, I made my way to our Member Experience team where I hold the position of Branch Officer at Jeanne D’Arc’s Dracut Bridge St. Branch.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Take any and every opportunity that is presented to you. Everything is a learning opportunity. Trust your gut when you think you are ready to step into a new position and prove yourself even before you take the chance to apply. Just because you aren’t given a promotion the first go around, doesn’t mean it’s out of the question in the future. Take any and all feedback and run with it. Everyone has room to grow.

What are the most valuable lessons you’ve learned throughout your career?

There is truly no such thing as a stupid question if your intentions are to ensure you are passing on the correct information to your team or to a member. Don’t ever assume you have the right answer just because of your length of experience; policies and procedures are ever-changing. Our members deserve the correct answer the first time they come to see us. A lesson my mom taught me when I first started working in the branch was to try to find the answer myself first, and then, if I exhausted all of my options, to go to another employee I trusted or a manager for help. This led me to dive into different policies and procedures I could learn from, ultimately making me more confident in my role. She also encouraged me to assist the Member Contact Center whenever the option was presented to me. She always told me I should take a year to work there because there was so much to learn. She was correct. Although I didn’t spend a full year in the MCC, I was able to help from time to time and it only made me stronger in my role.

Have you drawn professional inspiration from other women? Tell us about someone personally or professionally who has inspired you.

Oh my goodness, there are so many! The list of women I named before are a great inspiration to me. They motivated me every day but also showed me how enjoyable work could be when you had a good team surrounding you, no matter how long the nights were or how tedious the tasks could be.

As for my journey in the branches, I always have the same answer to this question. Tammy Baril, Carla Vasconcelos, and Maura McGilvery all have a reputation that precedes them. They are all so knowledgeable and have a heart to serve our members. I started my Member Service Representative journey at the Lowell branch, where Tammy worked for many years. Members would come in and ask for her all of the time because of the level of service she provided them. Her knowledge of our products and services was vast, and she could help anyone with just about anything.

I had the pleasure of being trained by Carla; she, to this day, is the most thorough and detail-oriented person I have ever worked with. I simply would not be the person I am today without her training.

Maura McGilvery was the manager at the Lowell branch for many years, including the years I worked there. I got to see every side of her, whether it be her gentle approach to members who need a bit of extra care or her ability to deal with difficult situations. She was also a very personable manager who never made you feel bad if you made a mistake. She was the type of manager I always wanted to be and strive to be each day.

I couldn’t end this without mentioning Corinne Badenhoff, Catherine Casey, and, of course, my mom, Brenda Hoenig. Corinne was my direct manager while I worked at the Westford Branch. She challenged me every day and made me the coach I am today. She showed me the importance of my coaching sessions and taught me to be my own biggest advocate.

Catherine was the branch manager in Westford, and I eventually followed her to Bridge St and became one of her Assistant Branch Managers. Catherine is the kindest person I have ever met. Her ability to take an upset member and have them laughing by the end of the interaction still to this day baffles me. Her ability to deal with difficult conversations and be so intentional with how she spoke was amazing to see. She, to this day, is my confidant and mentor.

My mom has given me so much advice over the years, some of which I have already shared. I share her love for this institution and its members and have learned from her. She is my biggest cheerleader and makes me want to be my best self each and every day. I truly appreciate her and all of the amazing women I mentioned.