Florida Prosperity Initiative Advisory Board Spotlight: Bob Hyde, Suncoast Credit Union

We are proud to spotlight Florida Prosperity Initiative Advisory Board Member Bob Hyde, Vice President of Community Impact at Suncoast Credit Union, whose leadership reflects a lifelong commitment to service. Following 23 years in the U.S. Navy, Bob has continued that service through Suncoast’s mission to improve the financial lives of members and strengthen Florida communities.

As the statewide lead for financial wellness, Bob is helping advance practical, scalable solutions that equip children, students, adults, and families with the knowledge, confidence, tools, and support they need to build lasting financial stability. From school-based financial literacy programs and student-run branches to college micro-credentials and nonprofit partnerships focused on savings, credit, and debt reduction, his work demonstrates how business leadership can help create pathways from childhood poverty to long-term prosperity. Learn more about Bob and Suncoast’s commitment to the Prosperity movement in our interview with Bob below.

Tell us a little about you and your business/organization:

I am Bob Hyde, Vice President of Community Impact at Suncoast Credit Union. After 23 years of service in the U.S. Navy, I have been fortunate to continue a life of service through the credit union movement. That commitment was shaped early by my parents, whose examples taught me that leadership begins with serving others. At Suncoast, that spirit is reflected in our mission to improve the financial lives of our members and strengthen the communities we call home. As a member-owned financial cooperative, we combine accessible financial services, education, philanthropy, and strong community partnerships to help Floridians build greater financial security and opportunity.

What made your business/organization join the Florida Prosperity Project Advisory Board?

We joined because the Florida Prosperity Project recognizes something we strongly believe: childhood poverty is not one isolated problem, and no single organization can solve it alone. It requires business, education, government, philanthropy, and community organizations working together on the underlying conditions that keep families from moving forward. Suncoast wanted to do more than support the effort. We wanted to help lead it. I am proud to serve as the statewide lead for financial wellness, one of the ten root causes of generational poverty, and to help turn shared ideas into practical, scalable solutions for Florida families.

What root cause(s) of poverty is your organization/business focused on?

Our primary leadership focus is financial wellness. To us, financial wellness is not defined by income. It means having the knowledge, confidence, tools, and trusted support to make sound financial decisions for yourself and your family. We are working to build a continuum that begins with children learning how to save, follows students through high school and college, supports adults through major financial decisions, and provides deeper coaching for families facing financial insecurity. The goal is not simply to share information. It is to help people turn knowledge into healthier financial behaviors and lasting stability.

Tell us about any projects you have launched and/or currently have in the works to advance prosperity in Florida.

We are advancing financial wellness at every stage of life. Through a partnership with EVERFI, our high school financial literacy programming currently includes 103 schools and 15,764 students in its high school course, along with 72 schools and 4,082 students at the elementary/middle school level. This work supports schools and educators as they implement Florida’s financial literacy graduation requirement.

Our partnership with the Florida High School Athletic Association brings grade-level financial education to student-athletes across Florida, covering budgeting, saving, credit, long-term planning, and preparation for opportunities such as name, image, and likeness income. Students can complete annual learning pathways, earn a certificate, and put their learning into action.

At the college level, we are collaborating with Florida Gulf Coast University on a Personal Financial Literacy Micro-Credential. Learners develop practical competencies in budgeting, saving and investing, credit and debt management, and short- and long-term planning, then demonstrate that knowledge through assessments and earn a shareable digital badge.

Through LIFE GOALS Pathway to Prosperity, our partnership with numerous non-profits provides financial education, coaching, practical resources, and pathways focused on building savings, improving credit, and reducing debt. The program is designed to help neighbors move beyond short-term crisis management toward greater financial confidence and self-sufficiency.

We also operate 21 Student Run Branches, including 15 elementary, one middle, and five high school programs, giving students hands-on experience with saving, banking, leadership, and financial decision-making. Our broader collegiate outreach includes partnerships and engagement with numerous colleges and universities in our footprint.

What would you say is the business case for Florida businesses/institutions to get involved with tackling generational poverty in their neighborhoods across Florida?

The business case is compelling. Financially stable families create stronger employees, stronger customers, stronger neighborhoods, and a stronger Florida economy. Many businesses already employ people who are working hard but remain financially vulnerable. When employees are worried about housing, transportation, food, childcare, or debt, those pressures do not stop at the workplace door.

Businesses do not have to solve every root cause or build a new program from scratch. They can bring their expertise, relationships, data, volunteers, and resources to partnerships already producing results. Even a modest investment in practical financial education, coaching, and savings incentives can help employees and families build resilience. Addressing generational poverty is therefore not separate from economic development or workforce strategy. It is an investment in Florida’s talent pipeline, productivity, consumer strength, and long-term competitiveness.

Is there anything else you would like to add regarding the importance of joining the fight against childhood poverty and securing the path to prosperity for our youngest Floridians?

Children do not choose the ZIP code, household finances, or circumstances into which they are born, but those conditions can shape their opportunities for years. That is why this work is both an economic responsibility and a deeply human one.

My parents taught me that service is not simply something we do. It is how we show people that they matter. If Florida’s leaders combine that spirit of service with the reach, discipline, and innovation of the business community, we can create pathways that allow more children to see a future defined by opportunity rather than limitation. The most important contribution each of us can make is to choose a role, bring what we do best, and stay committed long enough to create lasting change.