TFCU’s Prospective Leaders Program Builds Career Paths from Within

Posted by Alyse Knudsen on September 17, 2025

While professionals across Southern Arizona have their choice of professional development programming and webinars, some employees at Tucson Federal Credit Union are already five months into a leadership program built into their actual workplace.

Founded in 2011, TFCU’s Prospective Leaders Program (PLP) is a multi-year, in-house development track designed to cultivate emerging leaders at every level of the organization. From member advocates to analysts, participants stretch their skills, can shape real business strategies, and experience the kind of growth that goes far beyond promotions.

PLP is grounded in a clear mission: to cultivate a vibrant generation of emerging leaders who champion the credit union movement, empower members, and drive sustainable growth across Southern Arizona. The curriculum includes monthly workshops, team projects, mentorship, and presentations to the C-suite — all while participants continue in their day jobs.

The four-year, job-embedded curriculum tackles topics around Leading Self (Freshman Cycle), Leading Others (Sophomore Cycle), Leading Strategy (Junior Cycle), and Leading Organization (Senior Cycle). Each cycle builds upon the last, guiding participants through increasingly complex leadership development experiences that align with their growth and the credit union’s evolving needs.

Some ideas have already reshaped how TFCU operates. A recent freshman team’s capstone project directly influenced the credit union’s youth account revamp — and those team members helped implement the final rollout.

“Every employee has the potential to grow in their career and make an impact,” said TFCU President and CEO Matthew Gaspari is a huge advocate of the program. “I started my career at TFCU at 25 and worked my way to CEO over 33 years. There wasn’t a program in place during my trajectory, and we want to help build these emerging leaders so they, too, can go out and affect change.”

With Tucson youth in school and area adults embarking on continuing their education, TFCU is showing that some of the most meaningful learning still happens on the job. This proof that the program is working is what TFCU — and its cohorts — consider life-changing.

Posted in Arizona, Regional Member News, Top Headlines.