PHOENIX, AZ & LOS ANGELES, CA — June 8, 2020 — Consistently ranked a “Best Place to Work,” Desert Financial has launched InvestED, a program offering full college tuition and professional certification coverage for all eligible employees beginning July 2020.

In partnership with InStride, employees of Desert Financial, the state’s largest not-for-profit credit union, can enroll in online undergraduate and graduate degree programs or certificate programs. Employees can select their own field of study, even if unrelated to their current position or the credit union’s function. InStride delivers customized strategic enterprise educationTM programs, linking organizations to academic institutions committed to meeting the needs of adult learners.

“Our employees invest their time and talent into Desert Financial, and we’re returning the favor by investing in their growth and development,” said Jeff Meshey, President and CEO at Desert Financial. “As a lifelong learner myself, I want to encourage our employees to pursue career advancement, hone their skills or even change direction. We’re thrilled to partner with Arizona State University and InStride to help us navigate this incredible benefit for our employees.”  

InvestED degree and certificate programs will be offered online through InStride’s partnership with Arizona State University (ASU). Desert Financial employees who are inadmissible to ASU will have the opportunity to start with an earned admission program in advance of pursuing their degree. 

Desert Financial is Arizona’s largest credit union with more than 330,000 members, 47 locations, and over 1,000 full-time employees. As a not-for-profit cooperative, Desert Financial shares success with its members, team and the broader community. After just 90 days of employment, all full-time employees are eligible to enroll, further fostering a culture of learning, growth and community engagement with:

“We are proud to partner with a company like Desert Financial Credit Union that prioritizes its people and strives to be a market-leading employer of choice,” said Vivek Sharma, CEO of InStride. “Their investment in strategic enterprise educationTM is a meaningful initiative that will contribute to these goals as well as contribute to their business growth.”

About Desert Financial Credit Union

Celebrating 81 years in Arizona, Desert Financial is the state’s largest local credit union with $5 billion in assets, more than 330,000 members and 47 locations across the Valley. As a not-for-profit cooperative, Desert Financial takes pride in sharing success. In 2019, Desert Financial gave nearly $11M to Valley nonprofits, the community and members. Learn more at desertfinancial.com. For more information on Desert Financial Credit Union, along with interviews or images, please contact Diane Meehl at (480) 651-4654. 

About InStride

As the premier global provider of strategic enterprise educationTM (SEE), InStride enables employers to provide career-boosting degrees to their employees, through leading global academic institutions across the U.S., Mexico, Europe and Australia. InStride helps organizations achieve transformative business and social impact by unlocking the power of education, through advanced technology-enabled experiences for learners and corporate partners alike. For more information, please visit www.instride.com or follow InStride on Twitter and LinkedIn.