Karrie Drobnick

About Karrie Drobnick

Karrie Drobnick is a strategy-first, people-always leader who believes growth matters most when it creates meaningful value for the people we serve. With experience across industries and leadership roles, she brings energy, clarity, and a forward-looking perspective that turns overlooked possibilities into strategic advantages. She believes in doing the simple things well, knowing that consistency, care, and attention to what matters most build trust and lasting impact.In the credit union space, Karrie has helped organizations turn vision into action by shaping direction, inspiring teams, and leading initiatives that improve delivery, deepen relationships, and expand access. She has nurtured intentional cultures, built member-focused experiences, and modernized products and channels. She believes in the power of scale when it is used to serve, not just to grow. Over her career, she has played a leadership role in more than 20 mergers, each reinforcing the importance of cultural alignment, clarity of purpose, and keeping people at the center.In 2023, she founded The Strategic Five, a consultancy rooted in the belief that who you surround yourself with shapes what you become. Built on the idea that clarity and connection drive meaningful progress, the firm helps leaders create alignment, unlock potential, and move forward with confidence. Every engagement reflects a simple principle: when good people come together with shared purpose, great things happen.Today, Karrie serves as Chief Strategy and Experience Officer at Community First Credit Union, a financially strong and deeply rooted organization known for putting people first. She partners with the CEO, senior leadership team, and Board of Directors to shape and execute a transformational strategy focused on sustainable growth, deepening member impact, and maintaining a high-performance culture. She is committed to helping the credit union evolve in ways that strengthen its impact while preserving the member-first values that have always defined it. Guided by the belief that “We’ll find a way,” she works to ensure Community First remains a trusted partner in every stage of life.Karrie grew up in a small Wisconsin town where work ethic, kindness, and showing up for others were part of daily life. That foundation continues to influence how she leads, how she builds relationships, and how she shows up in every part of her life. Her goal is simple: to do good work with good people for good people and to build organizations people believe in and experiences they wouldn’t want to live without.

Experience

1. Chief Executive Officer

   The Strategic Five

   Oct 2023 — Present

Education

• Marian University of Fond du Lac

  Bachelor, Business Administration

• The Wharton School

  CEO Institute 1: Strategic Planning, Business

• The University of Chicago Booth School of Business

  CUES Strategic Growth Institute, Strategic Growth

  2018 — 2018

Skills

• Marketing Strategy
• Digital Media
• Integrated Marketing Communications Planning
• Sem
• Digital Marketing
• Brand Management
• Email Marketing
• Digital Strategy
• Social Media Marketing
• Web Analytics
• Interactive Marketing
• Online Marketing
• Social Media Measurement
• Social Media
• Ppc
• Leadership
• Competitive Analysis
• Strategy
• Marketing
• Marketing Communications
• B2b
• Corporate Communications
• Strategic Communications
• Direct Marketing
• Business-to-Business (B2b)