Here at Mid-Illini Credit Union, we work hard to live the credit union philosophy of people helping people every day. Lenders help borrowers, employees help members, and we strive to create a fun environment where employees are valued and service to our members comes above all else.
Our employees are friendly people who genuinely care about our members and about one another.
Let’s meet a few of them:
Tom Stewart
President
Tom was born and raised right here in Bloomington and graduated from Bloomington High School, then Lincoln College. He's been a MICU member since he was 16, and started working here when he was just 18! Back then, MICU had just 7 employees and about $13 million in total assets. From 1989 to 2002, Tom worked his way up from Teller to Vice President before being promoted to his current position as President.
Over the years, Tom has come a long way - today MICU has 22 employees and $45 million in total assets. That's a lot of growth!
Tom and his wife Andrea were married in 1992, and still live here in Bloomington with their daughter, who is a student in Unit 5. In his time off, Tom likes to spend time with his family, traveling and tinkering with his classic collector cars.
Tom enjoys the relationships he's built with MICU members over the years, and the opportunity to truly help families build strong financial foundations through the products and services we offer here at MICU.
Debbie Petersen
Vice President, Operations
Debbie grew up in Champaign, Illinois, graduated from Centennial High School and then attended Parkland College before entering the work force as a Teller at Citizens Savings Bank. She held many different positions, with ever increasing responsibilities, at various financial institutions for 23 years before joining Mid-Illini Credit Union as our Vice President of Operations in 2008.
She and her husband, Steve have two daughters in college now, and Debbie volunteers at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center and in the Bill Payor division at PATH crisis center, helping senior citizens.
Debbie enjoys the smaller environment here at MICU, and the people she gets to work with.
Julie Workman
Vice President
Marketing & Business Development
Julie has been working at Mid-Illini Credit Union since 2009, first as the Marketing Manager and now as Vice President of Marketing and Business Development.
A 1987 graduate of Illinois State, Julie was an Advertising Account Executive at The Pantagraph for 16 years and then worked for a national advertising agency over in Peoria before joining the team at MICU.
Julie has been married to her husband, Ward, since 1995, and they reside in Normal. Their two youngest children are still in school in Unit 5, and their oldest son lives in El Paso, Illinois with a family of his own.
Julie says her favorite part of working at MICU is going out to different community events and meeting MICU members face-to-face.
John Maher
Vice President, Lending
John has been with Mid-Illini Credit Union since 2003, serving for three years as a Loan Officer before being named Lending Manager in 2008, then Vice President of Lending in 2011. John brings 23 years of banking experience to our team, having worked in every facet of the industry, from ATM operations to collections.
He has two grown children – a son who is serving our country as a Nuclear Engineer in the US Navy and a daughter who is studying at ISU and just returned from a semester abroad at Hong Kong University.
John enjoys working here, in a community based financial institution, because we put concern for our members ahead of the pursuit of profit, and because answering only to members’ needs is much more rewarding than answering to the stock holders at a big bank.
Derick Moser
Teller Supervisor
Derick comes to us from Pontiac, Illinois via Illinois State University. He graduated from ISU in 2004, with a degree in Finance. He joined MICU during his last semester at ISU as a part-time teller and worked his way up to his current position as Teller Supervisor.
Derick and his wife Meghan have been married since 2006, and make their home right here in Bloomington – along with Rami and Kitty – their pets. (We’ll let you guess which one is the cat!).
Derick enjoys providing great service to MICU members, and listening to all of their stories.
Robin Juhler
Business Development Manager
Robin grew up in the “booming metropolis” of Altona, Illinois, population: 501. She graduated from ROVA High School and then from Illinois State University before working for 10 years as an Account Executive for WEEK TV. After that, Robin owned a Power Sport dealership here in Bloomington for 13 years, sold it in 2009, and joined MICU earlier this year.
Robin is serving as our Business Development Manager, managing our indirect lending relationships with area auto dealers, home improvement contractors and other retailers whose customers may need help financing purchases.
Robin and her husband, John, live in Bloomington with two dogs and a parrot. She knew that working at MICU would be a good fit because of the great experiences she had financing motorcycles and ATVs for her customers when she ran her own dealership. Robin says, “Mid-Illini’s goal is to assist businesses in succeeding, growing and surpassing goals. It is a pleasure to lend a hand in the process.”
Cranston O. Sparks
Business Development Manager 
An essential part of Team MICU since 2011, Cranston brings years of valuable experience to our credit union. He has an extensive background in different areas of the financial services arena including ten years at State Farm, time as a construction estimator, as a business owner and finally as a prominent Realtor right here in Bloomington-Normal. He's also a proven community leader and has served on the Board of Directors for several local non-profits.
Cranston is serving as our Business Development Manager in charge of company partner retention and recruitment. He also looks for ways to extend our partnerships with area businesses who may have customers who need financing.
He and his wife, Deborah, have been married for 24 years and have three children. Their oldest daughter is currently studying at Mizzou, and the two youngest attend Unit 5 schools.
Brian Irwin
Senior Consumer Loan Officer
A native of Elmwood, Illinois, Brian has been in the financial services industry for nearly 20 years. Since 2004, he's been helping MICU members finance their new and used vehicle purchases.
Brian and his wife of 19 years have two sons; they all enjoy fishing and other outdoor activities.
Chelsie Tallon
Mortgage Loan Officer
Donna Miller
Member Services Representative
Since 2008, Donna has been the ‘face’ of Mid-Illini to many of our members – she helps new members open their accounts, makes sure they understand all their options and that they get signed up and know how to use all of our convenience services like online banking and bill pay.
Raised in Ridgefield, NJ and a McLean County resident now for two decades, Donna and her husband Rodger have 3 daughters and a 4-year old grandchild. They make their home in Normal.
Donna loves working with the members here at MICU, and especially enjoys her work on the Board of Directors of our charitable foundation, Mid-Illinois Dollars for Scholars. Every year in the spring, MIDFS awards scholarships to deserving McLean County high school students who wish to pursue post-secondary educational opportunities.
Staff photos by B Corbin, Photobea Photography