TUCSON, AZ / AGILITYPR.NEWS / September 15, 2025 / Free Leadership Course helps qualified employees advance their careers

Tucson Federal Credit Union (TFCU) is proving that leadership development doesn’t need to be outsourced to be transformational. With its Prospective Leaders Program (PLP)—an in-house, four-year leadership track launched in 2011—TFCU is cultivating emerging credit union leaders who understand strategy, service, and the cooperative movement from the ground up.

The program is open to non-leadership employees with at least one year of tenure and a record of excellence. Participants undergo a rigorous selection process that includes an application, manager endorsement, and interview with the C-suite.

Once accepted, participants progress through four annual cycles, each spanning eight months.

1. Freshman: Leading Self – Values, leadership styles, EQ, team dynamics, CU financials
2. Sophomore: Leading Others – Operations, people development, community impact
3. Junior: Leading Strategy – Executive presence, strategic thinking, project management
4. Senior: Leading Organization – Self-paced initiative and peer leadership project

Participants stay in their current roles during PLP and complete workshops, independent research, and annual capstone presentations. One standout project led to a full revamp of TFCU’s youth accounts—proposed by freshmen, developed into strategy, and implemented with their help.

Key Metrics:

• 6 PLP graduates since 2019
• Largest senior cohort to date in 2024: 5 members
• Countless internal promotions and cross-functional transfers

TFCU President & CEO Matthew Gaspari is a huge advocate of the program saying, “Every employee has the potential to grow in their career and make an impact.” I started my career at TFCU at 25 and worked my way to CEO over 33 years. There wasn’t a program in place during my trajectory and we want to help build these emerging leaders so they too can go out and affect change.” 

“There’s no guarantee of a title change—but there is a guarantee of transformation,” said John Moyer, Program Facilitator. “These employees walk away with clarity, confidence, and a credit union rooting for their growth.”

Since 2019, 100% of PLP graduates have remained with the credit union after completing the program, highlighting its role as a powerful tool for retention, cultural alignment, and future leadership development. In an era when many financial institutions struggle to hold onto talent, PLP stands out as a sustainable, scalable model for growing tomorrow’s leaders from within.