Jen Gunter, Senior Vice President of Compliance and Risk Management at Civic Federal Credit Union

According to Jen Gunter, the real-world curriculum in the Master of Management, Risk and Analytics (MRA) program helps her build a more robust enterprise risk management program to advance her organization’s philanthropic, community-driven goals.

Get to know Jen

Program: Master of Management, Risk and Analytics (MRA)
Start date: August 2022
Anticipated graduation date: December 2024
Current location: Cherryville, NC

Life before Jenkins

Work experience: 20 years
Industry: Financial services
Roles: Senior vice president of risk management and compliance, vice president of risk management and compliance, risk analyst 
Fields: Risk management, compliance 
Undergraduate education: NC State University, B.S. in Agricultural Business Management

Career goals

As senior vice president of compliance and risk management for Civic Federal Credit Union, Gunter manages organizational risk to support Civic’s commitments to serve its members and strengthen local communities in North Carolina. To advance Civic’s strategic and philanthropic goals even further, Gunter hopes to strengthen her risk management and analytics skills and become a chief risk officer.

“The MRA program has given me the knowledge and confidence needed to succeed in this role,” she says. “My expertise of the risk management framework, coupled with my knowledge of how to leverage the credit union’s data to mitigate potential risks and identify key opportunities, positions me well to positively impact the financial lives of our members.”

The MRA program has given me the knowledge and confidence needed to succeed in this role.

Why Jenkins? 

Gunter always knew she wanted to further her education, but hesitated to move forward because most business schools didn’t offer graduate programs aligned with her particular passions and needs. Upon finding the MRA program at Jenkins Graduate School, however, she applied immediately. “I looked for the right graduate program for several years, knowing I didn’t want a traditional MBA but something more aligned with my love of risk management,” she says.

“Now that I’m in the program, I can say that it has gone beyond my expectations. I expected to get more in-depth knowledge of enterprise risk management (ERM) principles, but the program offers so much more,” she continues. “The data analytics courses have really helped me understand how to leverage data to propel Civic’s ERM program forward.” 

Daily life

In Gunter’s current role supporting the credit union’s ERM program, she helps mitigate financial crimes and identifies risks and opportunities related to vendor management, business continuity and compliance. In addition to balancing her work responsibilities and MRA coursework, she also keeps busy with family activities. “My husband and I enjoy riding four-wheelers on our farm with our four children and attending the kids’ softball, baseball and basketball games,” she says. 

What makes it great

While there is a lot to appreciate about the MRA program, Gunter says the practical, cutting-edge curriculum is what she appreciates most. “The program is based on learning from real-world experiences relevant to today’s business world,” she says. “Further, the evaluation strategies we’re learning can be used across all kinds of industries.”

Career impact 

The MRA program has not only helped Gunter build a more robust foundation in ERM, but has also positioned her to add value to her organization in real time. “Civic is currently working towards a historic conversion of all of our operating systems in June 2025. The MRA program has helped me expand my risk management knowledge as our various teams work to identify and mitigate the risks of conversion,” she says.

Final thoughts

According to Gunter, the MRA program is a valuable, practical program for professionals in a wide range of industries. “I recommend it to anyone wanting to expand their knowledge in risk management and data analytics,” she says. “The program is designed to broaden your knowledge of both of these areas and deepen your understanding of how to leverage ERM and analytics together to identify, monitor and mitigate risks related to your company’s strategic goals.”

Get in touch

Connect with Jen on LinkedIn. 

Learn more

To learn more about the Master of Management, Risk and Analytics (MRA) program, including tuition, curriculum, career opportunities and more, please submit the form below. 

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This post was originally published in Master of Management Risk & Analytics.