Virginia Credit Union Marks Back-to-Back Years with Top 10 Gallup Manager of the Year Finalists

Building on its recognition as a four-time winner of the Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award, Virginia Credit Union (VACU) has reached a notable workplace milestone, with two of its branch operations leaders named Top 10 finalists for Gallup's prestigious Manager of the Year award in consecutive years. Assistant Vice President Area Sales Manager Tim Turner earned the recognition in 2025, and Assistant Vice President Branch Manager Zach Hatfield was named a finalist in 2026 — back-to-back honors that further validate VACU's reputation as one of the world's top workplaces.

Gallup, the global gold standard in employee engagement research and workplace analytics, evaluates managers worldwide on their ability to engage, develop, and inspire their teams while driving meaningful business outcomes. Earning a Top 10 placement is a rare distinction — achieving it in consecutive years signals a leadership culture built to develop and sustain exceptional managers across the whole of the organization.

"Tim and Zach reflect exactly what we strive to build at VACU — leaders who put their people first, who develop talent intentionally, and who understand that an engaged, supported team is the foundation of every meaningful outcome we deliver for our members," said VACU President/CEO Chris Shockley. "Earning back-to-back Top 10 Gallup Manager of the Year recognitions is an extraordinary accomplishment and a powerful testament to the leadership talent across our entire credit union. We're excited to salute Tim and Zach, but we're equally proud of every manager committed to building a workplace where people can do their best work."

A VACU teammate for the past eight years, Hatfield leads two Fredericksburg-area locations — Cosner East and Chancellor Crossing — where his people-first leadership has delivered consistently exceptional results. In 2025, his branches recorded 91 percent participation in Gallup's Q12 employee engagement survey, with Chancellor Crossing earning a perfect 5.00 across all 12 engagement questions and Cosner East posting a 4.75 mean that placed it in the 93rd percentile worldwide.

Hatfield's branches have maintained 0% attrition over the past three years, while his team earned three internal promotions in 2025 alone. The branches also achieved 113% overall member satisfaction and 106% on the Net Promoter Score — both meaningful overperformance even when compared to VACU's already high benchmarks. Hatfield also serves as one of 10 VACU employees selected for the credit union's Community Engagement Ambassador Program, which helps coordinate the credit union’s volunteer initiatives.

Turner's 2025 recognition came amid a similar record of consistent operational excellence, employee engagement, and member-focused leadership — qualities Gallup seeks when evaluating managers against a global field. When recognized in 2025, Turner was leading the sales efforts of nine VACU branches — Chester, Courthouse Landing, Church Hill, Genito, Farmville, Hancock Village, Hanover, North Adams, and Southpark. He joined the credit union in 2012.

Turner’s team had an overall engagement mean score of 4.74, placing his team in the 93rd percentile worldwide, a testament to his leadership and focus on the wellbeing of his employees and the development of his team. The attrition rate for Turner’s team was 0% over a three-year span through 2025. He was also a driving force in launching what has become an annual branch manager’s forum that connects branch leaders with other departments within the credit union to share insights designed to strengthen branch performance.

The honors arrive during a period of significant recognition for VACU's broader workplace culture. In March 2026, the credit union earned its fourth consecutive Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award, placing it among only 78 organizations worldwide to receive the recognition this year. In the same announcement, VACU also earned its first-ever Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award for Strengths — a separate distinction held by only 22 organizations globally — recognizing the credit union's investment in helping employees identify and use their unique talents through the CliftonStrengths program. Together, the dual honors place VACU in a small group of organizations recognized worldwide for both employee engagement and strengths-based development.

VACU's investment in leadership development is intentional and ongoing. The credit union's Curious and Courageous Leadership Engagement and Other Obsessions (CLEO) program delivers monthly leadership development sessions designed to help managers apply Gallup's Q12 framework in practice and translate engagement principles into daily team management. Programs such as CLEO, combined with VACU's organization-wide use of CliftonStrengths and the Q12 employee engagement survey, have built a workplace culture where strong managers — and the strong teams they lead — are the norm rather than the exception.

"At VACU, we believe a great member experience begins with a great employee experience," Shockley added. "When we invest in our people and in the managers who lead them, the results show up everywhere — in member satisfaction, in operational performance, in community impact, and in honors like the ones Tim and Zach have earned."

About Virginia Credit Union
A financial cooperative serving almost 500,000 members, Virginia Credit Union offers a variety of affordable banking services, loans, mortgages, and free financial education resources, with a focus on helping members live more confidently and achieve greater success. Virginia Credit Union is an equal housing opportunity lender and is federally insured by NCUA. Learn more at vacu.org