Nanette Graviet shares lessons on resilience, leadership, and embracing opportunity during the Halladay Lecture Series at the Woodbury School of Business.
Nanette’s career didn’t unfold the way she first imagined, but every turn taught her something valuable about growth, resilience, and saying yes to new opportunities.
Nanette shared how, after high school, she said yes to something completely outside her comfort zone by joining the U.S. Army Reserve. She completed basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, an experience she described as physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding.
“There were days I felt completely spent,” she said, “but I kept going one day at a time.”
That experience helped her discover she was capable of far more than she thought. During her eight years of military service in human resources, she developed discipline, resilience, and teamwork—qualities that would later shape her leadership style.
When Nanette returned home, she took a part-time teller position at Mountain America Credit Union (MACU). It was supposed to be temporary, but she quickly found purpose in the work and connection in serving people.
While still in military leadership, she was encouraged to apply for a management position at MACU. Although she felt underqualified, she took the leap and got the job. At just 23 years old, she became the youngest branch manager at MACU.
After four years in that position, she started to feel what she calls “campy”, meaning comfortable but not challenged. Wanting to grow, she moved into a mortgage loan officer role.
“Embrace change and challenge,” she told students, comparing career growth to a card game. “Sometimes whoever knows the rules best can play the game better.”
After nine years, she felt that same nudge for change again. Instead of waiting for the next opportunity to appear, she created one by pitching a new Mortgage Sales Manager role to her leaders.
“It’s not just about the opportunities that show up,” she said. “It’s about the opportunities you’re willing to create.”
“Sometimes opportunity doesn’t knock; you have to build the door.”
Throughout her 30 years at MACU, Nanette has led teams across mortgage sales, member services, training, technology, public relations, compliance, and risk. In 2022, she joined the Executive Leadership Team as Senior Vice President and Chief Risk Officer, where she now helps oversee governance, risk, and compliance strategy for the organization.
Nanette reflected on how her perspective on leadership has evolved.
“What’s unique about being in the C-suite is that you’re not just responsible for your own work. You’re responsible for helping others succeed.”
She also reminded students that not every step will go as planned, and that some of the most valuable lessons come from the unexpected moments along the way.
Nanette closed her lecture by sharing a few of the lessons that have guided her throughout her career:
Now in her first semester of a master’s program, Nanette continues to live by that final principle. She encouraged students to keep learning, whether through formal education or simply by staying curious about the world around them.
“Never stop learning,” she said. “Growth doesn’t end when school does.”
The Woodbury School of Business extends its appreciation to Nanette Graviet for sharing her time and insights with UVU students. Her message reminded everyone in the room that growth begins the moment you stop waiting for the perfect opportunity and decide to build it instead.
Want to catch every insight from this year’s Halladay Lecture Series?
Watch Nanette Graviet's full lecture below.
