Tara Graff Joins Mankato State Women in Leadership Advisory Board

Blaze Senior Vice President/Chief Communications Officer Tara Graff was recently appointed to the Advisory Board for the Women in Leadership Certificate Program at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

“As a new member of the advisory board, I'm excited about the opportunity to contribute to the development of emerging women leaders through this innovative offering from MSU," said Graff. “This program offers a unique opportunity to develop tactical skills, grow their confidence, and develop their leadership brand. The workplace can be a complex environment and I look forward to contributing to helping women thrive.”

Graff has worked in marketing and communications for more than 20 years, spending her last 14 in the credit union industry. She served as Senior Vice President, Marketing & Business Development at Hiway Credit Union for six years, overseeing marketing, branding, communications, and community engagement efforts for the St. Paul-based credit union. At Hiway, she was a key leader for the organization’s branch expansion efforts, including design, builds, and market launches for the technology-forward Roseville (2021) and Woodbury (2022) branches. She also guided Hiway through a complete rebranding in 2021.

Following the announcement of the merger-of-equals between Hiway Credit Union and SPIRE Credit Union in July 2023, Graff was instrumental in the creation of the new name and brand identity for the new single entity, Blaze Credit Union. Graff was recently named SVP/Chief Communications Officer for Blaze Credit Union, where she oversees Blaze’s internal, external, executive, public/media, and crisis communications strategy and messaging.

As a member of the advisory board for the Minnesota State, Mankato Women in Leadership program, Graff will play a key role in the program’s course design through review of the curriculum while providing guidance and advice for the faculty. She will also visit classrooms, forums, and conferences, and will provide input on presentations and discussions. Graff will work to link the program to industry to help ensure that the curriculum is relevant and beneficial to the business community.