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Meet Toni! Toni is the Chief Financial Officer of Spero Financial. Toni’s experience and expertise are definite assets to the team, but it’s her quiet wisdom and deep commitment to credit union values that have made her a key member of Team Spero for the last 36 years! Yes, you heard that right, 36 years.
Over the years, Toni has been a part of so much— $30 million to $700 million growth in assets, mergers, new locations, and the adoption of new technologies. Throughout it all, she shares with a laugh that you just never know what the next day may hold— commenting that she once even saved a squirrel from a hawk attack while looking out her office window! But on a serious note, Toni’s impact is way beyond just credit union growth, her efforts have helped Spero live out our mission of improving the financial lives of our members.
WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND?
Toni’s career started with a difficult decision! During school, Toni was involved with music. She played the flute and the piccolo, but when it was time to decide her major, she had to decide between pursuing a degree in music or a degree in accounting. She ultimately chose to pursue accounting and stuck with it, which she says isn’t all that common these days! At the very beginning of her career, Toni set her sights on the top position in corporate accounting—the Chief Financial Officer.
She started out in West Virginia as a Rate Analyst, where she prepared cases for rate increases across 5 states. After spending two years there, she moved to South Carolina, where she found SC Telco Federal Credit Union, now known as Spero Financial!
She joined SC Telco in 1987 as an Accounting Clerk. In the beginning, she worked more on the operations of debit/credit cards and electronic services such as ATMs and digital banking. She then became a supervisor, and as she continued to work her way up, she eventually became Controller. As the Credit Union continued to grow, so did her position! She eventually moved to Vice President of Finance and then to Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
Toni has had a hand in many integral moments throughout Spero’s history. Throughout her tenure with the credit union, she has played a part in the adoption of ATM technology, online and mobile banking efforts, countless products and services, new branches, mergers, and more. Toni has been a part of Spero’s growth from $30 million to $700 million in assets and her contributions are part of the reason Spero has been successful in improving the financial lives of our members!
HOW HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE DIFFERED FROM YOUR INITIAL EXPECTATIONS STARTING OUT?
Toni said she has been most fortunate to be on the “other side” of what is typical of accounting professions. Whereas most accounting positions have the goal of creating a profit, Toni has been thankful to be a part of an organization that is not-for-profit that creates value for the member-owners, which truly aligns with her values.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PIECE OF ADVICE?
“Be willing to try! Don’t limit yourself to just what your job description says.”
Toni said if she had limited herself, she wouldn’t have been involved in the many different projects and opportunities she has— from branch rollouts to building designs!
WHAT IS ONE THING YOU WOULD TELL YOUR 25-YEAR-OLD SELF IF YOU KNEW THEN WHAT YOU KNOW NOW?
“Don’t sweat the unimportant stuff!”
As Toni shared the advice she has learned over the years, she shared of the importance of not sweating the unimportant stuff. While we often hear the phrase as, “Don’t sweat the small stuff!” Toni said that’s not really the best advice as some of the small stuff can be important.
