Angela Nowling
Angela Nowling is a seasoned banking and finance professional with over 18 years of experience in the industry since graduating college in 2008. She currently serves as the Assistant Vice President of Eastern Branch Operations at Michigan First Credit Union, overseeing all Eastern Branch operations, business development teams, and approximately 150 direct reports. Angela’s career has spanned credit card sales, branch management training, branch management, lending management, and regional sales and service leadership. She is recognized for her ability to coach and develop high-performing teams, set organizational goals, and lead initiatives that enhance both operational efficiency and member experience.
Throughout her career, Angela has built expertise across credit analysis, lending, compliance, audit, and financial management. In her previous role as Regional Sales and Service Manager, she helped set credit union-wide goals, developed multiple teams, and contributed strategically to organizational growth. Today, she oversees team leader coaching, interviewing and hiring for branch locations, handling escalations, and representing the credit union at community events. Angela thrives on leading operations that balance financial discipline with a commitment to serving members, particularly those underserved by traditional banks.
What Angela enjoys most about her work in the credit union sector is the ability to provide meaningful financial access to individuals and families that might otherwise be overlooked. By focusing on relationships rather than just credit scores, she helps members achieve goals such as financing a car or obtaining loans through the credit union’s mortgage company—opportunities many traditional banks would not offer. Angela’s passion for serving her community, combined with her extensive experience and leadership skills, has made her a respected leader and advocate for financial inclusion in the credit union world.
• Leadership Academy certification (3 years)
• University of Phoenix - MBA, Business Administration and Management, General
• The University of Olivet - Bachelor's Degree, Accounting and Finance
• Michigan First Way Award (received 2 years)
• Leadership Academy Mentor (served 2 years)
• Eta Psi Kappa Sorority (Alumni Board President)
• Mentoring college students on financial literacy through Eta Psi Kappa Sorority
What do you attribute your success to?
I would say I would attribute my success just to my drive and inspiration to be successful. I've always had the drive. I always knew that I wanted to go to college. I always knew that I wanted to be something. I never gave up, and I just kept going. I would say my grandfather, because he was a Kalamazoo schools principal and so he was always very big on education, and he always pushed education. Education is the key to continue to move forward. If you don't have education, you don't have anything. You have to continue to educate yourself. So I would say I was inspired by my grandfather.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I still would stand on just never give up and find the positive in everything. I think it's very easy for people to dwell on the negative or find something negative and just run with it. For me, I don't do that. I was always told, stay positive, find positivity in everything. If you find positivity in everything, you'll get a better outcome.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
You are in charge of your career. You have to have the drive, you have to have the motivation, and never give up. Just keep striving for excellence, and you'll get there. There will be some times where you'll get no, but that doesn't mean stop. It's learn from why is it no, and what can I do to keep moving forward.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think in my field, I think it's just continuing to evolve and change with the times. There's so many new things coming out, like, we're talking about AI and technology. It's like, okay, well, to stay up-to-date and to stay afloat, we have to adapt and change in our industry to stay competitive. And I think that technology kind of brings a little bit of challenges with that.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Having integrity. I think that's important. Always doing the right thing, even if you think no one's watching. Because you have to live with the choices that you make, and there's always consequences to the decisions that you make. So I think having integrity is big. Keeping God in the center of my life is big as well, too. That helps with the values that I have set for myself.