Celeste C. Cook
As a credit union industry strategist, Celeste provides strategic planning services, executive and management leadership coaching and training, experienced consulting services, and other expert training programs to the credit union industry. In addition to being a consultant and trainer, she is a keynote and motivational speaker with a dynamic and engaging style that have made her highly sought after within the credit union industry. Celeste has also served as an industry expert as well as a motivational and keynote speaker for credit union associations and leagues nationwide.
Along with being CEO of cuStrategies LLC, she has been involved in the credit union industry for more than 20 years and a professional speaker and trainer for 15 of those years – also working for a $1.6 billion credit union in Atlanta, Georgia, and working as a consultant and trainer with Rex Johnson of Lending Solutions Consulting.
Celeste’s expertise and training programs/schools in leadership, lending, collections, marketing/business development, and sales and service for credit unions have helped credit unions with assets ranging from $20 million to $2 billion. She brings her credit union expertise, experience, and proven strategies, which have fostered her credit union clients’ culture transformations as well as increases in membership growth, loan growth, and profitability. Celeste’s Leadership Programs have helped credit unions strengthen their leadership effectiveness that has resulted in more unity and positive synergy within teams as well as enhanced engagement from team members to better serve their members. For instance, through Celeste’s Lending and Member Service Programs, Celeste’s credit union clients have experienced increased employee engagement as well as significant consumer loan growth with minimal increases in delinquencies and charge offs while increasing their profitability. Her client, a $2.4 Billion credit union, experienced a culture transformation as well as increased loan volume (mostly consumer loans) from $10 Million per month to $21 million in one month and sustained the growth for over 12 months during her partnership with the credit union while maintaining their delinquency and charge off ratios. Another credit union client experienced 30% loan growth (during COVID) through direct consumer loans in 12 months using cuStrategies’ lending strategies and programs while maintaining a 0% delinquency ratio and 0.13% charge-off ratio. Celeste also increased loans by 215% in nine months through SEGs during her tenure at a credit union ($1 Billion in Assets) positively significantly impacting profitability as well as new membership growth.
Celeste has a degree in business management and a Certification in Sales Leadership Strategies through the Credit Union National Association. She has been a contributor to industry publications such as CUinsight, Credit Union Executive Society, Credit Union Times, and Credit Union Journal as well as Branch Managers Letter, a national publication. Celeste is also writing a book on leadership and service.
