Tag: Randy Brackman

INTERVIEW: Meet our new Internal Auditor, Rachel Kamaunu!

Rachel KamaunuA new day is breaking on the hills along the mighty Columbia River! Last week, we said goodbye to Randy Brackman, our Internal Auditor and a 28 year Wauna Credit Union veteran. Today, we say hello to a new era, as we welcome Rachel Kamaunu as our new Internal Auditor!

While Rachel is our new Internal Auditor, she is a seasoned employee of Wauna Credit Union. She was hired into the Accounting Department as an Accounting Assistant back in April of 2012. Rachel was promoted to Senior Accountant on January 1, 2015, and has been under Internal Auditor Randy Brackman’s wing for some months now preparing for this day.

The Wonderful World Of Wauna caught up with Rachel to find out how she was feeling about this new chapter in her WaunaCU career:

Why did you apply to be Internal Auditor?

Rachel: During all my years in the banking industry, I always envied the Internal Auditor.  However, I found over the years, prior to my employment with Wauna, that an Internal Audit position in a financial institution is hard to come by. I was lucky enough to work as an auditor right out of college for a short time, before starting my family.  Even though Accounting was my focus, Auditing has always been my passion.  I feel fortunate to have been selected for this position.

It certainly takes a special kind of person to be passionate about Auditing! Aside from that obvious qualification, what strengths do you bring to this position?

Rachel: I have a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting as well as over six years in prior banking experience.  I managed a small business for seven years before and while attending college, as well as over 6 years in the US Army Reserve, serving as an officer.  My prior experience as well as education bring great strengths to this position.  I am also a strong independent individual with excellent attention to detail and organization skills.

How do you hope to grow the position?

Rachel: First things first, I hope to grow my knowledge and resources first.  The department was developed perfectly by my predecessor, Randy. I plan to follow in his footsteps of producing thorough, accurate and timely audits.

What is the most unexpected thing you have learned during training under Randy?

Rachel: My time with Randy has been a rewarding experience. I quite honestly didn’t know what to expect, so it was all unexpected!  He has done nothing but make sure I am well taken care of, giving me the reigns and the desire to jump right in and make my mark on this department.  All the while, he has gracefully stood by, offering his wisdom, sharing his stories and has been encouraging me the whole way.

What is your favorite thing about working at Wauna Credit Union?

Rachel: My favorite thing about working for Wauna, is being part of the Wauna Family.  Wauna Credit Union cares about every employee here, and goes through great lengths to set a workplace that is friendly, adaptable and family oriented.

Randy explained last week that the Internal Auditor deals with the CEO and the Supervisory Committee, there’s been a lot of change to the Supervisory Committee this year, (including the retirement of Larry Cole, longtime Supervisory Committee Chair). How do you feel about those changes, and what do you hope so many new faces bring to the committee? 

Rachel: I feel the changes come at the perfect time.  A partially new committee and a new Internal Auditor, all with various backgrounds and experience, will surely bring new ideas to the table.  I welcome the discussions and challenges it brings.

Please tell us a little about your past, where you grew up, your hobbies, whatever you would like to share. 

Rachel: I was born and raised in the Bay Area, California.  I moved to Las Vegas when I was 19 years old and lived there for 13 years.  I moved to Longview in 2007 to be near my sister. I have two children, a nine-year-old girl and a six-year-old boy. I am getting married next month (April 7th), and in addition to my spouse, I will be blessed with four step-children and two step-grandchildren. This year has proven to be an exciting one, with many new adventures. In my spare time, I love to travel.  I also love the sun and spend every moment in it when I can. I am adventurous by nature, so challenges are exciting to me. I love my family and creating memories with and for them.

Thank you Rachel, we’ll look forward to catching up with you in the future and seeing the changes you initiate as our new Internal Auditor! Congratulations!

INTERVIEW: Our Internal Auditor Randy Brackman Retires after 28 Years!

RandybrackmanThis week, Wauna Credit Union will experience a major change. It’s not a new branch, or the latest technology, on Friday, March 25th our Internal Auditor Randy Brackman will “punch out” for the very last time!

After 28 years (yes, TWENTY EIGHT years!) at Wauna Credit Union, Randy will hand the reigns over to new Internal Auditor Rachel Kamaunu, and head out into the sunset for a life of leisure spent with family, and traveling – including perhaps a trip to England!

The Wonderful World Of Wauna caught up with both Randy and Rachel to find out more about both of them, the passing of the torch, and what exactly an Internal Auditor does. Today, we are talking to Randy, and on Monday, we’ll post our interview with Rachel.

So, what exactly does an internal auditor do?

Randy: The Internal Auditor is unique in that he or she has two different direct supervisors to report to; Robert Blumberg, CEO/President of the Credit Union and the Supervisory Committee Chair, which oversees the members of the Supervisory Committee.  The role of the Internal Auditor is to be the “eyes and ears” of both supervisors to ensure the internal controls of the Credit Union are up-to-date and being followed by the staff.  This is accomplished by conducting a series of audit exams annually to test the internal controls in place.  Finally the Internal Auditor acts as the liaison for the Credit Union during the NCUA annual examination and the Outside Auditing Firms annual audit.

What was Wauna Credit Union like back in 1988? 

Randy: There were four branches in operation (Clatskanie, Astoria, Warrenton and Westport).  I was hired to develop a Collection Department and work on lowering a delinquency ratio of over 4 percent. Technology was more a blimp in the future.  The Collection Department (me) received the first desktop computer and printer.  The rest of the branches had large terminals at each station, connected to each other by cable.  If a terminal went down the rest of the line also stopped working.  Pulling reports were cumbersome and took hours to complete.  Month-end reports generally meant the IT Department would spend the entire weekend in the Clatskanie branch, and resting on cots, while waiting on the reports to be completed.

You’ve seen some big changes then?

Randy: If I had to list all that Wauna Credit Union done and accomplished over the past 28 years it would take several pages. The Credit Union has done a phenomenal job of working on the growth of the membership base.  In doing so, the asset size has blossomed to nearly $200 million in assets, and there appears to be no decline in sight. Technology became extremely valuable as a tool to keep the Credit Union on pace with or ahead of the other credit unions in our field of membership. 

How have you changed over the years??

Randy: I’m sure I have gone through changes over the past 28 years.  When I started, delegation was not in my vocabulary. I have learned to delegate projects more frequently and not lose sleep over each decision.  I find that I listen more before making a decision at work.  My work ethic has never changed.  I give a 110 percent to the Credit Union and have the utmost respect for the management supervisors I have reported to during the years.

How does it feel to hand the reins of this position over after so many years?

Randy: I am at peace with my decision to retire.  I have always been a firm believer if I did the work assigned to me to the best of my ability, with the good of the Credit Union fully in the forefront, then I am happy and I have gained the respect of management.  It was always my desire to go out on my terms and that is why I requested my retirement date to be the same month and day that I was hired. . . March 28.

What are you planning to do with your new found freedom? World travels? Gentleman of leisure? 

Randy: I’m sure there will be a “honey-do” list created for me before I know it. I will be retained by the Credit Union to do consulting work on an as needed basis.  Much of my time will be spent with the family.  Traveling will probably include trips to Southern Oregon; Washington DC, and possibly England.

Good Luck Randy! We are all going to miss you around here!