Volunteer of the Year: A Man Committed to Community

Written by Dakota Damschroder, Communications Editor, CrossState

As indicated by the philosophy of “people helping people,” the credit union movement is marked by selfless service from individuals not seeking the spotlight. But that doesn’t mean their efforts go unnoticed. Each year, CrossState Credit Union Association presents the Calvin H. Jackson Volunteer of the Year Award to an exceptional individual or team, honoring the time and talent they’ve dedicated for little or no monetary compensation.

This year’s designation goes to Gregg Wells, the longtime Chairman of AmeriChoice Federal Credit Union (FCU) who embodies the spirit of the award. Even after 37 years on the Board, he remains humble in his position and grateful to be among the company of past winners. “It’s been surreal to realize I’ve won something like this,” he says. “It’s very inspiring to see others who have won and what they’ve accomplished. I’ve always tried to live up to that standard. I’ve never sought any special privileges or services, expecting employees to treat me like they would anybody else.”

Wells’s career in the credit union movement began in Illinois. He’d grown up in a rural area that didn’t have any such institutions, but it didn’t take him long to get involved. His second job as a customer service manager with Illinois Power Company allowed him to become a member of Utility Employees Credit Union, and following that, he served as CEO of IBM Employees Credit Union of Indiana starting in 1984. After relocating to Pennsylvania, he joined IBM’s operations support team and, in turn, became a member of IBM Pennsylvania Employees Credit Union.

Three openings on the Board of directors at the time gave him the opportunity to join. “I had met the CEO of this credit union at a conference years ago, and he suggested I get on the Board,” Wells shares. “I had enough people from IBM Indiana that had transferred here, and between them and those I worked with, I got voted in. I took office in 1988 and have been on the Board ever since.”

Over the decades, Wells has seen the credit union through a lot of change. Around the mid-90s, IBM decided to downsize—which meant that to survive, the credit union needed to expand its charter from occupational to community. “Going from one type of credit union to another can be nerve-racking because you’re making decisions that will impact the members and you don’t know if you’re going to succeed,” says Wells. “It’s a lot of responsibility if you think about it. But I don’t dwell on it much. It’s pretty easy when you’ve hired the right people in the right positions.” Such an attitude also helped him and the Board oversee the expansion of the credit union via several mergers, boosting it to about 15,000 members and $230 million in assets.

On top of the internal shifts, Wells has helped steer AmeriChoice FCU through external ones. Regulation has become more complex, leading them to hire a compliance officer, as has technology. But the biggest hurdles were undoubtedly the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. “We were in good financial position before, but 2008 was tough,” Wells remembers. “It took a while and a lot of patience; we just tried to dig through it like everybody else. COVID, of course, was a whole different animal.” Wells credits their ability to rely on online services in helping them survive along with the support of their members.

Despite the challenges, Wells never gave much serious thought to leaving. “I’ve been able to give time for this, and I felt like I was part of the family where I didn’t really have a need to leave,“ he muses. “I like to see the progress that we were making from behind the scenes. And it’s been a privilege working with the CEO, especially being kind of the go-between person as Board Chair.” Wells has recently started the second year of his final three-year term, after which he has decided to retire from the Board. But he’ll always be willing to offer a helping hand. “I was the youngest on the Board, and now I’m almost the oldest,” he says. “So they can always call me up if they have a question. I don’t mind it at all.” to achieve as a community.”

Originally published in the 2025 CU Edge Special Edition