In the CEO Spotlight: Meet Jenna Kasse

​The new Manager of HB Telco FCU is a true “numbers person” who enjoys working directly with the members and helping them with financial decisions.  

by Shawn Marie Brummer, Communications Specialist

Jenna Kasse grew up mainly in Oakdale, Minnesota, which is a large suburb of Saint Paul located on the eastern side of the Twin Cities Metropolitan area.  Prior to moving to Oakdale, her family had moved around quite a bit, living in Fallon Montana, Hershey Nebraska, and Hinkley Minnesota, all before eventually settling in the city of Oakdale.

During her high school days, she participated in the marching band, where she carried flags, and played clarinet in the school orchestra.  Following her graduation from Tartan High School, she began taking accounting courses through the Minnesota School of Business, where she received her accounting diploma.

After Jenna married her husband, Craig, the couple moved several times, mainly due to Craig’s work in law enforcement.  They lived in Quinter, Kansas, where he worked for the local sheriff’s department, and she worked for the City of Quinter as Secretary/Treasurer.  They also moved to Colorado for a time, before eventually making the move to Huron, South Dakota, to be more centrally located to family living around the Midwest region.  

Jenna has always enjoyed working with numbers, and over the years, her work has been focused on the financial/accounting arena.  In addition, she and her family were familiar with credit unions, as they have been members of several different credit unions over the years. 
So, it was no surprise when in 2004, she accepted a part-time job at Huron Telco as a member service rep.  A short time later, she found full-time employment at Dakotaland Financial Services, a CUSO of Dakotaland FCU, where she worked for several years.  She then began working at Agtegra for about a year, until her position was eliminated.  But as they say, when one door closes, another opens.

In September of 2020, she was hired at HB Telco FCU as Assistant Manager, in preparation for eventually replacing then manager Jane Ramsell, who was preparing for retirement.  Working alongside Jane for the next seven months, she took over as manager on April 1, 2021.  (Jane continues to work part-time, filling in and assisting Jenna as needed.)

As a little background, Huron Telco opened their first office in 1954, thanks to the efforts of employees of Northwestern Bell.  The credit union has a closed membership charter but has grown membership over the years with the addition of sponsor groups and their families.  Some of the SEGs that have added to the credit union’s base include Centurylink in 20 surrounding counties, the NorthWestern Corporation, Venture Communications Cooperative, Santel Communications Cooperative, Midstate Communications Cooperative, Girl Scouts of Nyoda Council, Employees of the City of Huron, Beadle and Kingsbury County employees, and State of South Dakota employees who work in Beadle County.  The credit union took a rather large step in 2006 when they voted to merge with H&B Federal Credit Union and changed the name to HB Telco Federal Credit Union.
 
Jenna says she enjoys working directly with the members at the small credit union, helping them with financial decisions.  She is very proud to report that in May 2021, the credit union achieved a record loan month – and has continued to be very busy with loans throughout the past summer.

In addition to her full-time job at the credit union, she has volunteered at her church, helping with the Finance Committee, and has also assisted with the Relay for Life in past years.  She is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in business banking through the University of Jamestown and is on track to finish sometime in the next two years.  Currently, she is undertaking two different writing courses – not exactly her favorite part of the curriculum, since she really is a numbers person at heart!  

In her personal life, Jenna has been married to her husband, Craig, for 24 years.  They have one son, Brecken, 15 years old, who is active in hockey and a member of the Junior Varsity/Varsity team.  Hockey is a family affair, and they all help out by volunteering for the local hockey association.
 
Their house is very pet-friendly, so sharing their home are three dogs: Kamree, a Black Lab/Border Collie; Lola, a Yellow Lab/Golden Retriever, a new Chihuahua/Papillon rescue puppy named Bauer Laska; and one housecat, Ziggy.  When she isn’t working, you are likely to find Jenna at a hockey game watching her son play.  She also enjoys traveling and visiting family in many states. 

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