Investing in Women, Investing in the Community.
Each year, YWCA Northeast Kansas presents an Employer of Excellence Award to a local business or organization that is leading the way in its commitment to its employees and the community it serves. This year’s Employer of Excellence is Envista Federal Credit Union.
The YWCA team had a chance to sit down with a few leaders at Envista Federal Credit Union to discuss their personal experiences and the values that drive Envista forward.
Liz Steffen, Chief Financial Officer, started working at Envista at the age of nineteen.
“I think for the community that we live in, the fact that Envista has such a strong leadership team of women and so many women working here, it gives us the ability to advocate for each other and support women in our community.”
Liz has also served on the YWCA Board of Directors. She got involved after being nominated for the Women of Excellence Awards in 2017.
“I really like how Envista does support the YWCA, and I’m proud to be a part of Envista and I’m always proud to see Envista leadership volunteering for different YWCA events. As the YWCA works tirelessly to educate, support, and empower the Topeka community, we at Envista strive to do the same.”
Ashley Esquibel, Chief Administrative Officer, has great news about one of the more recent initiatives for Envista Employees.
“Envista really supports our team members through a lot of different ways. But one of the biggest, which has impacted me as well, is the professional growth opportunities. We looked at our leadership team and saw that 65 percent of them started at an entry-level position, which I thought was amazing. That just shows it’s been part of our culture forever to have that many people who start at entry level and are now running the organization."
Since 2022, over 20 employees have graduated from our Career Pathing Program, which connects team members with professional development opportunities, mentorship, and training to achieve their career goals. Over half of those graduates have already been promoted within Envista.
Jennifer Vance started in a member service position in 2008. Today, she is the Assistant Vice President for Compliance & Risk Management.
“I have the privilege of seeing our employees on a daily basis finding a way to make it work for our members, whether that’s fixing a bill pay issue or helping first time home buyer complete that dream of purchasing a new home.
Over the last fifteen plus years, it has been amazing watching these phenomenal women lift each other up and make life-long bonds. Some of these women, their careers took them outside of the credit union and they have created this network of support for one another.”
Thanks to Liz Steffen, Jennifer is also a current member of the YWCA Board of Directors, lending her skills to help our programs and services run more efficiently and reach more people.
“The YWCA does such vital work in our community, and I have three daughters, so I want them to know that their voice is important.”