Her Story
About Janet
Janet Colunga-Allen serves as VP of Retail Delivery at Community Resource Credit Union, a role she has held for the past three years, overseeing the retail branch network and the virtual branch call center. She began her career in financial services in 2006 as a Business Development Specialist at a credit union, later advancing to Marketing Director, a role she held for four years. She then joined a larger credit union as Business Development Manager before transitioning into retail operations in 2014. Over the next several years, she served as a Branch Manager for six years, then became Virtual Branch Manager during the COVID era. She was later promoted to Director of Virtual Services, where she more than doubled the size of her team. Janet holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications and recently completed her MBA. Her expertise spans building high-performing teams, developing branch and call center leaders, driving sales and service excellence, and cultivating strong member relationships. In 2020, Janet was named one of the Most Influential 20 Under 40 in the Baytown area. She previously served as a board member of the North Channel Chamber of Commerce, where she earned both Committee Member of the Year and Board Member of the Year honors. CRCU’s deep involvement in the community has allowed Janet to support organizations including United Way, Habitat for Humanity, and Hearts in Hands.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Janet
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to curiosity, relationships, and a willingness to keep learning long after I was “supposed to” already know the answers. But if I’m honest, a huge part of it comes down to leaders who saw something in me before I saw it in myself. Early in my career, there was someone who took a chance on me, who was forward-thinking enough to recognize potential I hadn’t even recognized yet, and who gave me the tools to grow into it. She changed the trajectory of my career, and that’s always stayed with me, not just in memory, but in how I lead.
I think that’s really what makes a strong leader: the ability to see potential in someone before they see it themselves, take a chance on them, and equip them to succeed. Of course, the other half is what that person is willing to put into the work, it’s not one-sided. But someone opened that door for me, and I’ve spent my career trying to be that person for others, passing forward what was given to me.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I’ve received is that you won’t always achieve things in the timeline you want, but you have to be prepared when the opportunity comes anyway. Growth doesn’t wait for you to feel ready, so self-development has to be constant, not something you pick up only when you see a specific door about to open. For me, that’s meant staying a student even outside of formal roles, pursuing my education, seeking out mentors, saying yes to stretch assignments, and studying the parts of leadership I hadn’t been formally taught yet. When opportunity finally arrived, it wasn’t luck, it was preparation. That advice taught me to invest in myself continuously, so that when the timing finally aligns, I’m ready to walk through the door.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Stay curious, and don’t wait until you feel fully ready to lead, nobody ever does. Say yes to the things that stretch you, invest deeply in relationships and mentors, and remember that your job isn’t just to earn a seat at the table. It’s to use that seat to develop the next person coming up behind you. If you ever get to a point where you feel like you have all the answers, that’s not success, that’s a sign you’ve stopped growing. There’s no finish line to becoming, stay in motion.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges and opportunities in credit union industry right now is modernizing, new technology, digital banking, AI-driven service while still protecting the member relationship that makes credit unions different. The tools are evolving faster than ever, but the mission hasn’t changed: people still want to be known, trusted, and served well. The opportunity is in leading that change thoughtfully, bringing people along instead of just bringing in new systems, we need to ensure innovation strengthens the relationship rather than replacing it.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
That same commitment shows up at home, too. I want to be the example for my son, to show him what it looks like to lead with humility, to keep growing instead of settling, and to serve the people around you. My hope is that these aren’t just values I talk about, but ones he sees lived out, so that he carries them forward and passes them along in his own life one day. For me, that’s the real measure of leadership, not what I accomplish, but what carries on through the people I’ve touched along the way.
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