Senior Vice President, Dearborn Federal Credit Union Financial, Dearborn
Employees: 500+ Assets: $3.7 billion Education: Wayne State University
If not for a turn of events while Lesli Matukaitis was going to college, she most likely would be working for the family tire retread business rather than heading up the commercial loan department for the largest credit union in Michigan.
“I thought I would work there during and after college, and eventually work my way up to owning the business,” she says. However, the family sold the enterprise during her junior year, so Matukaitis set her sights on a career in finance. After graduation, Matukaitis landed at Comerica Bank and worked in the commercial lending department for 16 years.
In April, she was recruited by Dearborn Federal Credit Union Financial to build and manage its first-ever commercial lending department. “It’s exhilarating to build an entirely new line of business for DFCU Financial and have the ability to, with the help of many employees, create this department from the ground up,” she says. At Comerica, Matukaitis’ detailed, driven-results earned her the Chairman’s Circle for Leadership.
Outside of work, Matukaitis is involved with the National Association of Women Business Owners, an organization that provides ongoing education, support, and mentoring to girls and women wanting to start or grow a successful business. She also sits on the board of Starfish Family Services, a nonprofit that serves thousands of vulnerable children and families annually in metro Detroit.
