In the Spotlight: Steve Davis from First Community CU!

​“Credit unions have always been an important part of my life; I truly enjoy the member-centric focus that is embedded in the credit union culture,” says this Senior VP of Mortgage Lending. 

by Shawn Marie Brummer, Communications Specialist 
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Steve Davis grew up in Bismarck, North Dakota, the only boy in a family with four sisters. He says his greatest influence during his formative years was his father, Arthur A. Davis, whom he describes as a true gentleman, courteous, kind, and a consummate professional.

“I continue to be guided by the wisdom my father imparted,” Steve shared. “One lesson that has been particularly impactful was his guidance on leadership, and his words still resonate with me: To be a good leader, you need to need to listen more than you talk and leave more than you take.”

Looking back, he says he cannot remember a time when he was not a credit union member. His father was a longtime credit union board member and volunteer, and had opened savings accounts for all the children when they were very young.
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Steve attended school in the Bismarck Public Schools system through the eighth grade. He then attended and graduated from St. Mary’s Central High School, a private Catholic school where he was active in student council and served as the senior class president.
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Following high school, he received his Associate of Arts Degree from Bismarck State College; his Bachelor of Accountancy at the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks; and his Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Mary, Bismarck.
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Steve’s professional career began as a certified public accountant at the “Big Six” accounting firm of Coopers & Lybrand, LLP. He worked as an auditor in public accounting for about four years, then changed careers and started working in the banking industry for about eight additional years. In 2004, he joined the credit union movement and never looked back. 

His career at First Community Credit Union (FCCU) started as a Regional Senior Credit Officer/VP, where his primary responsibilities included agriculture and commercial loan credit approval, as well as business lender training. In April of 2021, he was named Senior Vice President of Mortgage Lending.

In his role, a good share of his day-to-day focus is supporting a team of talented mortgage lending professionals. He works directly with the mortgage loan officers, as well as the processing and underwriting team, to ensure they have the tools and resources necessary to excel. “We have a cohesive team with a common goal of helping members achieve their financial dreams,” he stated. In addition, he works closely with the Senior Management Team on strategic planning initiatives to ensure the long-term success of the credit union.

“Credit unions have always been an important part of my life,” he expounded. “I truly enjoy the member-centric focus that is embedded in the credit union culture. Our ‘why’ is to serve the member’s financial needs and to work in the best interest of the membership. I believe credit unions do business the right way for the right reasons,” he added. 

Being involved in the credit union industry is more than “just a job” to Steve. In addition to his role at FCCU, he currently serves on the DakCU Governmental Affairs Committee for North Dakota, and was a board member for the DakCU Board of Directors from 2008 to 2017. 

His other industry accomplishments include receiving the DakCU Credit Union Professional of the Year Award in 2011 and earning his Certified Chief Executive (CCE) designation from the Credit Union Executive Society (CUES).

In addition to supporting the credit union industry, Steve gives back to his local community as well. He was elected Exalted Ruler of the Bismarck-Mandan Elks Lodge in 2007 and was appointed the Grand Lodge Lecturing Knight of Elks in 2019. As an active Elks supporter, he is a frequent volunteer and service leader at the local, state and national levels. He currently serves as the President of the North Dakota Elks Association at the State level, and as the Special Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler for North Dakota at the Grand Lodge level.

In his personal life, Steve has been married to his lovely wife Leann for 28 years. They have two adult children: Allie (25); and Drew (23). Leann is a cat lover, while Steve is more of a dog person, so they compromised and now have two cats happily residing at their home.

In his free time, you are likely to find Steve buried in a book about the American Revolution or our country’s Founding Fathers. He also enjoys the outdoors, and spends time hunting, fishing, and relaxing at their family cabin nestled in the north woods of Minnesota. He’s also a loyal sports fan, always cheering for the Minnesota Vikings and the UND Hockey Team.

If you have met Steve Davis in person, you probably discovered that he is a rather humble and unassuming person, and always the gentleman. So, you may be surprised to learn that his favorite hobby is playing the role of Patrick O’Conner in a local, old-time Western movie series, titled “Dakota Rangers.” The show appears on Dakota Access TV in Bismarck, and the cast recently finished filming their latest movie of the trilogy, “The Gathering” that will premier sometime in January. In this series, you can see Steve as he plays the character of a “bad guy” – who just happens to be a banker, and a pretty straight shooter!

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