APG Federal Credit Union: Building APGFCU’s First Recognition Program in 88 Years

APG Federal Credit Union (APGFCU) is Maryland’s fifth-largest credit union, serving more than 176,000 members with a workforce of around 500 employees.

When Becky Smith became President and CEO in 2025, one of her first priorities was building a leadership team committed to strengthening APGFCU's culture. Teshia Davis, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, soon joined APGFCU as Chief People Officer and set out to establish the first employee recognition program in the organization’s 88-year history.

Having worked together at a former organization, the two executives knew firsthand about the impact of strategic recognition. At their previous organization, Teshia had launched her first Workhuman recognition program, helping to boost employee engagement scores from the mid-eighties up to approximately 92%.

“When [Becky] hired me, one of the first things she said is, ‘we need to do it here’,” Teshia explains.

As APGFCU looked to strengthen culture under new leadership, recognition became an early investment in creating a more connected and engaging employee experience. Teshia partnered with Workhuman once again to implement her second recognition program.

In June 2026, ApplaudU, APGFCU’s first-ever recognition program, launched with Social Recognition, Service Milestones, Life Events and Community Celebrations. Recognition awards were aligned with APGFCU's core values so that every recognition moment reinforced behaviors that mattered most. Managers received training to learn how to build consistent, equitable recognition habits across the organization.

ApplaudU may be in its earliest days, but APGFCU already sees recognition as more than a program. It's part of how the organization can connect employees, reinforce culture, and leverage recognition insights to surface new people data.

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“In just two months since launching ApplaudU, our employees have shared nearly 1,000 recognition moments across the organization. That level of engagement speaks volumes about our culture and our people. For the first time, every employee has a consistent and inclusive way to recognize one another, celebrate meaningful contributions, and highlight the everyday actions that support our teammates, members, and communities. ApplaudU is doing more than recognizing great work, it's strengthening connections, reinforcing our values, and helping us shine a light on the impact our employees make every day.”

Teshia is excited about the long-term impacts of recognition at APGFCU. “You're getting more out of your organization by making sure you see everyone,” she observes.

Looking ahead, Teshia sees two major opportunities for recognition at the credit union. The first is to foster a positive, consistent employee experience that creates connection and drives retention.

“If you have high levels of recognition, your employees are going to feel more valued. You're going to have a deeper connection. They're going to feel like they belong, and in turn, you will retain them,” Teshia says.

Another area of opportunity for APGFCU will be tapping into some of Workhuman’s newest tools – such as Human Intelligence and Future Leaders – to see how recognition moments can inform real-time people data such as engagement, performance and leadership potential.

“I’m so excited about the Human Intelligence piece, in terms of Future Leaders. … Those insights are going to be paramount,” Teshia says.

At APGFCU, the new executives used their experience and proven track record to make recognition one of their first strategic culture investments. For other HR teams considering building an employee recognition program at their own organization, Teshia has some solid advice from her experience.

Find Your Leadership Influencers 💡

Identify the key influencers within your organization. Who can be your advocate for the program when you’re not in the room?

Select Recognition Ambassadors 📣

Find your internal partners who can educate others about the program. Who can help you quickly spread the word about the impact of recognition?

Tie Recognition to Meaningful Metrics 📊

Identify the links between employee recognition results and meaningful metrics, such as performance and engagement. What are your critical people goals and how can recognition support those?

Teshia says she’s found Workhuman to be an invaluable partner as she evolved the employee experience at two different organizations. Through collaboration with her account team, plus insights gained at Workhuman LiveOpens in a new tab, Teshia continues to find new opportunities to innovate employee recognition efforts.

“I consider myself a loyal, repeat customer. I have been with you all now for eight years, and I have implemented a successful program at my previous organization and now I’m happy to be launching a program again at my current organization. I just can't say enough great things about Workhuman,” Teshia says.