Malissa Trossen is a Senior Member Service Representative and a certified Credit Union Financial Counselor at Marine Credit Union (MCU). Malissa explained that she pursued the certification because she wanted to get as much experience as she could to help her members. “I can’t help everybody, but I can help coach them through their struggles.”
Malissa shared that she grew up in a small town in Ohio and now lives in the Sheboygan area. She started in banking at a very young age as a teller and worked her way up. “I’m very motivated,” Malissa shared. “I learned so much so fast,” she added. “I love it. This is a career I will never leave.”
Malissa and her husband Jeremy have two girls Anslee (10) and Harper (8). Both girls belong to a competition dance team, which keeps Malissa very busy outside of work. The family are also “passionate” campers and enjoy visiting “kid friendly” campgrounds.
Day to day at work Malissa takes delinquency calls, helps new members, and helps with online banking. She works one on one with MCU members.
Working with delinquency, Malissa said, “takes a lot of compassion. Everyone has a story and is going through something difficult.” She said it’s important to be understanding of those situations. “I think they can feel my compassion through my voice, and through the conversations we have and letting them know I understand and can help them.”
Malissa said she agrees personally with MCU’s mission for community involvement. “During COVID,” Malissa shared, “collaboration was really strong because we all need each other. COVID triggered the 4Cs (compassion, collaboration, commitment, and courage) in a short period of time.”
Although many of MCU’s employees started to work remotely from home at the beginning of the pandemic, Malissa said she prefers to work in her branch office. Her branch also houses separate desks to accommodate others who might want to work at a branch. “MCU has adjusted to every detail,” Marissa shared. “It’s just another piece of collaborating within the whole company.”
Malissa shared that she and her coworker are given a budget from the MCU Foundation, and they can choose how to use that money in their own community to help empower others. “It makes us feel so good,” Malissa shared that they even continue the do-gooding with their own money to extend that community work.
She said MCU’s commitment to community has motivated her to also volunteer in her personal life in the Girl Scouts and is the head of sponsorship for her daughters’ gymnastic team. Passing that on to her daughters, she takes her girl scout troops, at least once a year, to help with the local food bank. “MCU shaped me in giving back to the community,” she shared.
“My dad always liked to give, give, give … you can make more tomorrow,” Malissa shared. “I like the way it makes me feel when I give back to others.”
In addition to leading the girl scout troops and fundraising, Malissa also adopts a family through the Salvation Army every year at Christmas and helps serve homeless meals once a month.
Malissa said she hopes her daughters will continue the good work in their community. “I hope they look up to me and follow in my footsteps. I believe I am a good role model because of the things that I get to do in the community,” she added.
MCU’s mission is to empower their members so that they can give back to the community as well. Malissa shared how members of their branch give generously to those in need. “It’s neat that people give so much,” she said.
“I truly love MCU for the opportunities they have provided and the motivation to be a better person and for the money they give us to help the community. MCU is a company that truly cares,” she added.
