Employee Spotlight: Pete Cypret

Location: Verona Operations Center
Job Title: Chief Risk Officer 
Tenure: 5 Years 
Were you involved in FFA? I served as both Vice President and President of my local FFA chapters and enjoyed competing in state competitions for soil and dairy judging, parliamentary procedures and extemporaneous speaking. 
Describe your agricultural involvement. I grew up on the family farm my great grandfather was born on and that my father continues to operate ("in retirement") today.
Tell us about your family. My wife and I have been married for eight years. We have two children, a boy (age 6) and girl (age 4).
What is your favorite childhood memory? One of my favorite childhood memories is alternately chasing and then being chased by my collie through the fescue fields and woods of our farm.
Pick your favorite decade and tell us why. My favorite decade is the 2020s, but I had to think about it – with all of the challenges from Covid to other national/global challenges, I can sometimes forget that good stuff is happening now too (any time in the past had their own challenges that seemed large in the moment). 
What is your favorite blog or podcast? My favorite podcast is Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History.
Tell us about your hobbies. I adjudicate the disputes of the tiny humans that my wife and I created.
What is your favorite place ever visited? My wife and I were married in the South Island of New Zealand; it is truly a magical place.

What's your go-to productivity tip or trick? Prioritize, focus, begin. I can slip into multi-tasking and over planning, and I have to remind myself that charting a course and commencing that course has led to the best productivity outcomes for me.
What is the most interesting or favorite aspect of your job? I get to work with the most fun and genuine people of my professional career. 
What are your hopes for the ag industry? Growing markets and more opportunities for producers of all sizes.
What advice would you give to a job seeker who is thinking about applying for a job with FCV? So many organizations spend so much time and money trying to establish a purpose and find a way to be relevant to their customers. Relevance and purpose is built into Farm Credit's DNA, so if these are important to you, you may find a wonderful home here.
List and describe any clubs or organizations outside of agriculture that you are involved in. I am member of the American Legion and a couple of professional organizations including the Professional Risk Managers’ International Association (PRM) and the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA).

To honor and feature Farm Credit of the Virginias' team members with military backgrounds, we asked veteran employees to answer questions specific to their experience in the military. We're proud to employee a number of individuals who have bravely served our country and we value the impact their military experience brings to their current role at Farm Credit.

What branch did you serve in, and for how long? I served in the Army Reserves for 13 years.
Where were you located during your service? I was based in Reserve units in Missouri, New York and California.
What was your primary job specialty after training? I was first a Medic, then a Combat Surgery Hospital Officer.
Were you active duty or reserves, or some combination of the two? Reserves

Why did you choose your branch of service? My college town was home to a reserve medical unit, and I had a chance to spend time with the medics, doctors, nurses and soldiers who served in the unit and learn about their experience before enlisting.
What motivated you to join the military? The opportunity to work on personal goals that were important to me and help pay for college.
Having served yourself, what do you appreciate most about the military? I appreciate the mission, comradery, purpose, discipline and structure.
How does your military experience impact your role here at Farm Credit? The US military has cross-pollinated leadership principles with private industry for decades, and I still think of experiences 30 years ago that help me today. Perspective is also helpful – I have yet to have a day at Farm Credit that I would rate as challenging as my easiest day during basic training.

Tell us about some of the special or impactful people you met during your time in the service. I met my best friend, Paul, during my Officer Basic Course at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. Paul came from a very different background and had a very different outlook on life, and I value the lessons I learned from him that have helped me lead a much richer life.
What are you most proud of from your time in the service? I am most proud to have been part of an organization where so many people came together to serve a higher purpose.