Alex Goseltine is the Executive Director for the BC Northern Real Estate Board
What is it like to be on a community credit union board of directors? We asked Director Alex Goseltine to highlight a day in the life of an Integris board member and here’s what she had to say.
A: A friend of mine from the lower mainland who sits on a board of another credit union board told me about her work and it really interested me. I also wanted to get more involved with my community, and as a member of Integris, joining the board of directors was a great fit. By way of background, I was a civil litigation lawyer in Prince George for about 20 years before becoming the Executive Officer for the BC Northern Real Estate Board, a position I have held for the past 11 years. I have an LLB, a Graduate Diploma in Business Administration and hold a Canadian Risk Manager (CRM) designation and a Real Estate Sector Governance (RSG.D) designation. Working with Integris felt like a great at way to use my skills to give back to the community.
A: No. Each director does need to have integrity, financial literacy, high-performance standards, and a willingness to learn. But good governance also requires a diversity of opinions, voices, and backgrounds on the board of directors. Directors with different backgrounds bring strength. I’m not an accountant, for example, but there are accountants on the board. Other directors may have strengths in different industries or economic sectors or may be strongly connected to local communities. It is important to ensure diverse voices are represented.
A: Community involvement was important to me, and although I knew Integris was active in local communities, what I didn’t know was just how much Integris was involved in the communities we serve. From financial literacy, to supporting members and businesses, to charitable community work; Integris is everywhere. I’m impressed by how much work and how deeply Integris staff are involved in the community.
A: Directors complete a lot of education in their first year, and I sought out and had the opportunity to do additional education. I value and enjoy the opportunity to do course work. If a director doesn’t feel they have strong skills in one area, there are many educational options available. I had the opportunity to join two other new directors for courses in Vancouver, which provided valuable networking opportunities with other credit union directors throughout BC and Alberta.
A: We have a great board! There is a wide range of experience on the board, from newbies like me to very experienced board members. I see a lot of respect at the board table, and everyone participates and actively listens – which demonstrated a well-functioning board. I don’t worry about asking a question or stating an opinion as a newbie because everyone is open – the culture of the board is incredibly positive.
A: The board level monitoring is deeper and stricter than I have seen at other boards and each director also sits on a few committees. It is a steep learning curve so it may be best for directors to sit on committees that are closer to their skillset at the outset, and it is important to remember that board and committee work is supported by director training. I sat on the Audit Committee and found learning about internal and external audits quite interesting. Committees consist of smaller groups of directors which allows for deeper exploration of issues. New directors will find that much important work is done at the committee level. Of interest to me is the fact that the board will be going into a strategic planning year, so 2023 will be a fun year to join the board.
This directorship is a great opportunity – you will learn a lot and will have the opportunity to affect the credit union and its members now and into the future. It is important to be aware that directorship does require a bit of work, especially initially as you learn about the role and during each quarter when most meeting occur or when there’s a strategic planning session. If you can commit to the time required to fulfill the duties of a director, you will find that the work is both valuable and rewarding.
Questions?
Our board of directors will be releasing a call for nominations for those interested in joining our board, so stay tuned for opportunities from our Nominating Committee. To learn more about our Board, visit our Board webpage, or reach out to our team.
