Member Story: Lisa St. Pierre - Giving Back to Tupper Lake

After spending most of her career working for the state and raising two kids, Lisa St. Pierre was confronted with a question many empty-nesters face: “You put your all into your kids, and then they leave, and you think, ‘Oh, God, what am I going to do now for me?’”

For Lisa, the answer included some self-care, including yoga classes and hip-hop dance classes at a local studio (“My first dance recital was when I was 51,” she quipped.) But it also included giving back, and Lisa is the newest member of the Adirondack Regional Federal Credit Union’s board of directors. 

Lisa joined the board last summer, shortly after retiring from a 36-year career at the Sunmount Developmental Disabilities Services Office. But she’s been a member since 1988, joining shortly after starting her job. 

As a lifelong Tupper Laker, Lisa is deeply familiar with the credit union. She sees an opportunity to make Adirondack Regional more widely known in Plattsburgh and Potsdam, both larger communities where the bank has branches.

“I think we really need to focus on getting some younger members,” she said. Many current members have belonged for decades, or signed up because their parents were members, also. “We want to let everybody know
what we’re all about.”
 

That may include sponsoring financial literacy materials distributed to high school students, or visiting the numerous college campuses in the credit union’s service area to attract new members when they arrive for the fall
semester. 

Even though Lisa’s relationship with the credit union goes back decades, her newfound behind-the-scenes access has given her even more appreciation for the way we help members through tough times. 

“They really work with people to be successful with their banking needs,” said Lisa, who pointed to the economic headwinds people sometimes face in rural communities like ours. “People get chances to be successful getting loans, and paying back their loans. Sometimes, people get in a bad situation, and we really try to work with people. No other bank is going to do that.”    

As business officer at Sunmount, Lisa described her job responsibilities as “holding the purse strings”—skills that have equipped her to step onto the board with a running start. And after a lifetime in the community, “I feel like people trust me and have confidence in my decisions based on my work history,” she said.