Striving to Achieve a Leadership Role in Finance? This VP Says: “Stay True to Your Values”

Some people discover job opportunities through sheer luck; others land a new role after a months-long search. For Ayse Alexander, the Vice President of Risk at Navy Federal Credit Union, her impressive career in financial services began with a move to Japan.

Before joining the team at Navy Federal, Alexander worked for the State Department. While employed there, she met her husband, who was a Marine. After reviewing their options, the newly married pair decided that Alexander would resign from her position.

“It would have been difficult to be a tandem couple under those circumstances, and my husband had longer tenure at that point,” she says.

Two days before Thanksgiving, they deployed to Okinawa, and Alexander was itching to work. One day, the couple walked to Camp Foster to withdraw funds to rent an off-base home. Alexander’s husband noticed an announcement for an opening at Navy Federal, pointing out how the organization had been an essential resource for him throughout his military career. As the world’s largest credit union with over 13 million members, the company serves the Navy, Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard, veterans, Department of Defense, and their families.

At that time, Alexander had never worked in the financial industry, but the opportunity seemed like a win for her career goals.

“Although my husband was a fan of Navy Federal before I started working there, I credit my Navy Federal career to him,” she says.

Alexander forged ahead and applied; she was later hired as a manager. Now, 12 years later, she’s ascended through the ranks.

She shares what she’s responsible for in her role, how she’s grown as a leader since entering the company, and why Navy Federal’s culture and mission resonate with her.

I didn’t know Navy Federal would be my new “home,” but I ardently support personal and organizational value alignment for long-term success. My core values align closely with Navy Federal’s integrity, service, and community pillars. Being a military spouse who lived overseas and experienced our members’ lives creates a different level of synergy and commitment to our mission. We unite around service and do the right thing.

At a high level, my group oversees the risk management program and related activities for Branch Operations’ over 350 worldwide branches and support teams. We collaborate with internal and external business partners to implement Branch Operations’ strategy while maintaining a high-quality service experience for our members.

This work suits me because I’m very detail-oriented and a problem solver. What we do at our level impacts our team members and members’ day-to-day. Our work combines understanding the front lines and working with our partners to balance risk and compliance with excellent member service.

I’ve always focused on learning, growing, and setting an example for my team—I consider it a critical priority. My leaders and mentors across the organization have always been by my side, acting as a sounding board and source of invaluable advice. I’m grateful they supported my personal and professional development and created opportunities for me. I obtained my MBA with Navy Federal and leveraged tuition assistance to pay for part of it.

Similarly, I obtained many certifications by using the same benefits. I recommend that any employee take advantage of these resources and be in the driver’s seat of their journey.

Change is an essential part of our lives, and learning how to navigate it and perceive it as an opportunity is vital. It’s a catalyst for innovation, agility, and personal growth. When we embrace change, we unlock the potential to explore new possibilities. I look forward to the future enhancements we will implement for our members and team members.

Navy Federal ensures our teams are prepared to meet our members’ needs. Yet, the transient overseas environment can sometimes lead to resource constraints when recruiting because the talent pool is limited. Staying flexible, reprioritizing, and ensuring the team understood the reasoning behind it were key aspects of managing our resources. By being transparent, we developed unprecedented, innovative solutions that streamlined our processes and eliminated inefficiencies. Working in this environment taught me to efficiently redistribute tasks to maximize productivity and allowed me to evolve into a more versatile leader.

Just as I had mentioned that working with limited resources overseas was one of my most valuable experiences, it also led to one of the early highlights of my 12-year career with Navy Federal. Our branch was awarded the Richard Cobb Award for Excellence in Member Service, and the experience was a testament to our team’s resilience, creativity, and dedication.

Despite facing numerous challenges, we remained focused on serving our members. Our team’s collaborative spirit in a transient overseas environment was instrumental in our success. We leveraged individual strengths and consistently supported one another. This synergy fostered an environment of innovation and excellence. Winning the Cobb Award exemplified the power of teamwork and perseverance.

Undoubtedly, the last 12 years have been an amazing journey, and I’m humbled by every single opportunity I’ve had.

My favorite part about Navy Federal’s culture is our service mindset. I particularly praise Navy Federal because most of our team members are veterans, military spouses, or have military-related extended family members. We make considerable efforts to retain military spouses during moves from one duty station to another, as they closely understand the meaning of dedication, sacrifice, and loyalty. This is reflected in their work ethic and the care they show for our members.

Navy Federal’s emphasis on service, integrity, and excellence resonates strongly with my personal values, as I’ve always believed in giving back to those who serve our country. Professionally, I’m passionate about empowering our teams through our work to ensure they’re equipped to help our members achieve their financial goals through education, our products, and services.

I’ve had the opportunity to visit HQ twice when I was overseas, and I was impressed by the culture. I’ve always thought of branches as satellites connecting back to the mothership, which is our HQ. As my husband was doing his twilight tour—his last duty station—we decided to make Virginia our home and selected the location based on HQ. Again, as a military spouse, it wasn’t easy. The closest assignment he could get was Yorktown, three hours away. We had to maintain two residences for over a year until he retired.

It was a humbling experience, but I’m grateful for it. During this transition, flexibility was the name of the game. I knew I loved operations, action, and a position where I could wear many hats that would help me gain more experience and exposure.

I decided to give it everything I could. I’m that person who rolls up their sleeves, digs in, and puts their ego to rest. It allowed me to be a part of something at its inception. As our team matured, I continued my growth and moved back into leadership and progressively into my current role. What I learned during this transition as an analyst helped me move farther and faster— it was a key role with broad coverage.

When I think about an opportunity, my definition differs from the one I had in 2016. Usually, people assume a step backward isn’t a good thing, but it can be a chance to gain a different perspective and propel your career in the long run. There are numerous ways to accomplish the same goal, and the path may not always be straightforward, but the basics are the same.

Be prepared to take turns and detours as needed, but stay true to your values, be engaged, and work hard; opportunities will present themselves. Over the years, I’ve made many connections, many of whom still work in various roles and helped shape me into who I am.

I love traveling and experiencing new cultures. I’ve been all over Europe with my previous job and have visited several countries in East Asia thanks to the military and Navy Federal. Every culture has its unique beauty, and we love immersing ourselves in lesser-known aspects away from “touristy” areas.

After living in Japan for almost six years, I love the people and social harmony. They take pride in everything they do; their care and thoughtfulness are evident in every interaction. We lived off base and regularly visited a local izakaya. Being a Marine, my husband eats pretty much everything. On the other hand, I’m a vegetarian and with the little bit of Japanese I speak, I tried to pick and choose items that didn’t contain fish or meat. The owners created a menu with pictures and basic English translations to make it easier for me to order. I’ll always cherish our time in Okinawa and hope to return.