In an era where leadership is often defined by growth charts and shareholder returns, Jed Meyer, President and CEO of St. Cloud Financial Credit Union, stands out for something far more profound: authenticity, purpose and human connection. For Jed, leadership isn’t a title; it’s a responsibility to serve, to connect, and to build trust in an industry that has too often lost its human touch. His story is one of grit, heart, and the unwavering belief that purpose and performance can, and must, coexist.
A Journey Fueled by Purpose
Leadership came naturally to Jed long before the boardrooms and bottom lines. Growing up, sports were his first classroom. As captain of his collegiate baseball team, he learned lessons about teamwork, discipline, and perseverance traits that would later define his leadership philosophy. During college, the versatile leader pushed his limits, earning two degrees in four years while working two jobs and playing baseball full-time.
Initially, he planned to pursue a master’s degree and become a high school guidance counselor and coach. But a detour into banking changed everything. “Finances are deeply tied to the lives people get to live,” he realized early on. Unlike healthcare, where vulnerability is encouraged, Jed noticed that people often shielded themselves in financial conversations. That disconnect sparked his mission: to bring trust and empathy back into finance.
What began as curiosity became a calling. Over the years, the versatile leader climbed through leadership roles across banks and credit unions, driven by one simple goal: to change how people experience financial services. By 37, he had become CEO of his own credit union, ready to lead the transformation he once dreamed about.
Guided by Authenticity and the Power of Doing What’s Right
At the core of Jed’s leadership lies a single word—authenticity. To him, leadership isn’t about performance for applause but about alignment between values and actions. Raised in a family that believed deeply in community giving, the versatile leader carries that same conviction into every decision he makes. His discovery of the cooperative credit union model was a defining moment. “Each time an employee meets with a consumer, they’re meeting with an owner of the company,” Jed says. “That’s a powerful responsibility.”
He often likens the cooperative model to a sports car, built for speed and purpose, but too often driven cautiously around the neighborhood. Under his leadership, SCFCU has taken that car onto the open road, growing more than 400% organically in the past decade by leaning into authenticity, courage, and cooperative principles.
The Heart of Leadership
Within SCFCU, Jed cultivates a culture where innovation and inclusivity thrive side by side. By hiring leadership talent ahead of growth, he has built a team ready for the future, not constrained by the present. Every employee is encouraged to lead from their values, challenge ideas respectfully, and bring their authentic selves to work. For the versatile leader, the most important qualities in leadership today are simple but profound: integrity, curiosity, and courage. A leader, he believes, must align behavior with values, stay hungry for learning, and act boldly even when it’s unpopular.
Learning from Everyone
When asked about mentors, Jed resists naming just one. Instead, he credits a lifetime of learning from others. “In every season of life, I’ve made it a point to find value in others,” the versatile leader reflects. Every leader he has worked with brought a unique strength, something to learn from, even when their style differed from his own.
That open-mindedness has shaped his approach as CEO. Leading experts across multiple disciplines, Jed understands that trust and humility go hand in hand. His leadership isn’t about knowing everything. It’s about creating space for others to shine and bringing their collective strengths together toward a shared mission.
St. Cloud Financial Credit Union’s Mission and Vision
Founded in 1930 by postal workers who believed in the power of cooperation, SCFCU remains a beacon of community-driven finance. Today, it serves 27,000 members and manages over $400 million in assets, all while staying true to its original purpose: to make a meaningful difference through human connection.
For Jed and his team, banking is not transactional, it’s transformational. “We advocate for people through a member-focused culture, an enthusiastic employee environment, and purposeful community action,” he says. Every product, service, and initiative begins with one question: How can we make people feel seen, heard, and supported?
Furthermore, SCFCU’s impact extends far beyond banking. In the past year alone, it has invested over $200,000 locally and contributed 4,400 volunteer hours. Through initiatives like Changemakers, which honors community heroes, and the TriUnity Foundation, which provides critical aid to families in crisis, Jed’s vision of compassionate leadership comes to life.
Balancing Growth and Humanity
“Talent wins—but only if people can show up fully as themselves,” Jed often says. At SCFCU, this belief is more than a slogan. The company’s growth, nearly five times the industry average, stems directly from putting people before profit. Employees are not just ladder-climbers; they’re ladder-builders, empowered to grow personally and professionally while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Choosing Authentic Growth Over Industry Conformity
Jed’s biggest challenge as CEO wasn’t competition. It was resisting conformity. In a sector obsessed with numbers, the versatile leader chose a different metric for success: human connection. Early in his leadership, he made bold moves by investing in senior talent before it seemed “financially justified,” entering industries others avoided, and creating lending programs rooted in empathy.
The result? An institution that doesn’t just grow, it transforms. By staying true to its values, SCFCU has earned not just financial strength but something rarer: the trust of its members and community.
Redefining Financial Inclusion
Under Jed’s leadership, SCFCU has reimagined innovation as a force for inclusion and dignity. From pioneering the CU-Digital Asset ™, which helps members securely manage cryptocurrencies locally, to launching the Meaningful Start Loan Program for credit-building, his team is redefining what banking can look like for everyone.
Other initiatives like Purposeful Pause (a skip-payment product during life’s curveballs), ITIN Lending for those without Social Security numbers, Sharia-Compliant Accounts for faith-based inclusivity, and Cannabis Banking Solutions for transparency in emerging markets reflect a clear philosophy: Innovation should serve people, not trends.
Even philanthropy has been redefined through the TriUnity Foundation, a national nonprofit founded by SCFCU to help families facing terminal illness, a proof that compassion can be scaled strategically.
The Road Ahead
Looking toward the next five years, Jed envisions growth that’s both expansive and intentional. From youth lending to multicultural banking and digital asset management, SCFCU’s roadmap centers on inclusion, trust, and long-term sustainability. “Our future looks like a Thanksgiving dinner table—always full, sometimes overflowing, and always nourishing,” he says. For the versatile leader, success isn’t about more members, but deeper relationships with people, communities, and the cooperative system itself.
Navigating Industry Change
As the financial world evolves, Jed sees three major forces reshaping the landscape: consolidation, digital transformation, and leadership turnover. He views each not as a threat, but as an opportunity for credit unions to reclaim their cooperative DNA, to lead with collaboration, courage, and clarity. Technology, for Jed , isn’t the destination—it’s the vehicle. Every digital investment at SCFCU is filtered through one lens: Does it strengthen human connection? Similarly, sustainability isn’t just environmental; it’s about keeping wealth local, ensuring access, and supporting long-term community resilience.
Redefining Success and Legacy
For Jed, success is not measured by financial metrics but by the success of others: employees who rise, members who thrive, and communities that grow stronger. “Skill without passion is wasted talent, and passion without skill is just a dream,” he reflects. His greatest measure of accomplishment? A workplace where people look forward to Mondays.
The Next Chapter
As he looks to the future, Jed’s next milestone isn’t tied to profits or accolades, it’s about impact. Whether through multicultural banking, cannabis lending, or digital assets, his mission remains clear: to expand access, deepen trust, and empower people. “I want to look back and know that I didn’t just grow an institution—I grew people,” he says. “That’s the journey I’m on.”
Driven by People, Grounded in Purpose
What keeps Jed motivated in an ever-competitive landscape is simple: people. He thrives on seeing others succeed and remains curious, reflective, and deeply human in how he leads. “This industry doesn’t need more copycats,” he reminds. “It needs leaders willing to hold space for uncertainty, to stay authentic, and to put people first.”