If there’s no education like adversity, Steve Schmitz and Eric Bruen should receive advanced degrees.

Schmitz, president/CEO of $1 billion asset First Community Credit Union in Jamestown, N.D., and Bruen, president/CEO at $60 million asset Desert Valleys Federal Credit Union in Ridgecrest, Calif., led their institutions through dire financial straits and learned many useful lessons along the way.

In this episode of the CUNA News Podcast, Schmitz and Bruen take us through how they tackled tough times and rejuvenated their credit unions.

They’re among 31 credit union leaders named as 2021 Credit Union Rock Stars by Credit Union Magazine.

Sponsored by Fiserv, the Credit Union Rock Stars program recognizes outstanding credit union professionals and volunteers from a wide range of disciplines for their exceptional creativity, innovation, and passion.