2019 Awards of Excellence - John Bissell
CEO of the Year
John Bissell joined Greylock Federal Credit Union in 2003 as Vice President of Marketing and Human Resources and was promoted to Senior Vice President in 2007. He was appointed Executive Vice President in 2010 prior to being elevated to CEO/President in 2015. In 2017, he was elected to the Board of Directors.
John’s commitment to community development, financial empowerment, service to others, and diversity and inclusion personifies the credit union ideology. His driving principles are embodied in Greylock’s mission, vision, and values.
Guided by his leadership, Greylock launched an extensive inward critique of what it means to be Greylock. The results of this organization-wide reflection led to a rebranding effort to better align Greylock’s culture with its mission, vision, and values.
Through the adoption of a brand statement and brand promise, new employee training and development programs, and organizational realignment, all Greylock employees now embrace our culture of We Love to Help and It Shows.
Through John’s leadership, Greylock learned to celebrate what it has always been, a collection of people who genuinely love to help other people. Greylock built upon this philosophy and broadened its impact throughout the organization and the wider community.
Greylock’s mission is to be a credit union that partners with the community and provides the keys to enrich lives. Its vision is to enable the community to thrive.
John has appointed a Senior Leadership Team comprised of experts from all areas of Greylock. This team’s weekly meeting goes far beyond your standard management meeting agenda. The team studies the history of, and cultural impacts to, the US banking system.
John has taken this leadership out of the conference room and directly to all employees through the development of a priority program known as IDEA (which stands for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility). He charged the Training and Development team to build classroom and online curricula and design employee initiatives that drive and support ongoing conversations around IDEA.
Subsequently, a Cultural Advisory Committee has been created to inform leadership as to emerging needs and opportunities for growth as an organization, an employer, and a community partner.
One of John’s proudest accomplishments is Greylock’s recent recognition as a Juntos Avanzamos Credit Union by Inclusiv for its commitment to serving the Hispanic and immigrant communities. Greylock is the only credit union in Western Massachusetts to achieve this certification and is the only one outside of a major metropolitan area in the New England region.
The newest initiative put forward through his leadership is a soon-to-open Community Empowerment Center in the heart of an underserved, low-income neighborhood. The CEC will become home for the Greylock’s financial education and community partnership commitments.
John Bissell is a native of Berkshire County. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Amherst College in 1989, graduated from the New England School for Financial Studies program at Babson College in 2011, and completed his MBA from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 2018. He is a true lifelong learner and has built a culture of learning within Greylock. John leads Greylock through example. His own passion for a fair and just world is evident in his actions and his words.
