‘A pillar in the community’: Nusenda places first in Top Workplaces large category

A lot has changed at Nusenda Credit Union.

The state’s largest credit union got bigger, acquiring a regional bank in southern New Mexico and the El Paso area last year. It changed leaders, promoting Michelle Dearholt to CEO and president in March following the retirement of Joe Christian. And it has expanded its microloan program, giving starting businesses who apply up to $50,000.

Despite that change, Nusenda, the state’s largest credit union, has managed to maintain a positive reputation and relevance in New Mexico. That relevance has landed Nusenda, for the fourth time since 2021, the top spot in the large category of Top Workplaces.

“Nusenda is a pillar in the community,” said Dearholt, who has been with the company for close to three decades, starting as a teller before working her way up to the top executive role. “We’ve been around for nearly 90 years. We support so many community members, nearly 300,000, and while we offer financial services, there’s so much that we do for our community as well.

“I think what people see from us is that, yes, we’re a financial institution, but we really contribute to the economic well-being of our communities, and they rely on us for understanding what the community needs, and that we’ll be there for them when they need us.”

Like any other successful business, the credit union’s impact is grounded in its ability to maintain a culture in its workforce that lifts people up. Nusenda offers a lifestyle and wellness reimbursement program, which got off the ground in 2023, as well as benefits that include 401(k) and pension plans.

Among many other benefits, the credit union also provides up to $5,000 per year in tuition reimbursement and extended time off — 15 days in the first year and nine paid holidays. The company will also help its workers out if a hardship takes place, paying for their living expenses, Dearholt said.

One employee surveyed for the contest wrote, “I have a great work-life balance and a schedule that allows me to be present for my family.”

“Our employees are really amazing people who care deeply for the work they do,” Dearholt said.

One of the many big changes at Nusenda is the credit union’s acquisition of Western Heritage Bank, which it completed in March 2024. Nusenda, which had just one location in southern New Mexico prior — a Las Cruces location — now has close to a dozen from El Paso to Deming. Dearholt is also only a few months into her new role as CEO, one in which she jokingly said she is “still trying to find my feet and time to breathe.”

Having a good culture, of course, helps with that.

“I didn’t flip anything upside down — it’s doubling down on our values and thinking about what it feels like to work here, and how we can help employees become successful,” Dearholt said. “We can do hard things when we do that, when we believe in each other, when we help each other, when we’re there for each other.”