In the Press
Congratulations to Kay
Kay Hoveland, President/CEO, K-Fed Bancorp & Kaiser Federal Bank, was named one of the "25 Most Powerful Women in Banking" in the October 2009 issue of US Banker.
Click here to read the full article in US Banker...
Inside the Gala...
Photos from the 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking's 7th annual affair on October 6 at The Plaza in Manhattan
Nine Named to WOCCU’s International Executive Volunteer Corps
September 25, 2009
MADISON, Wis.—World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) has welcomed nine new credit union professionals to its International Executive Volunteer Corps (IEVC). The corps, established in 1995, recognizes inductees for their years of international service to WOCCU.
The 2009 inductees are: Mike Delker, vice president of credit union relations for the Texas Credit Union League; Pat Drennan, president and CEO of 1st Gateway Credit Union, Camanche, Iowa; Patrick Jury, president and CEO of the Iowa Credit Union League (ICUL); Mike Lanotte, senior vice president of association services for the Credit Union Association of New York; Luis Lopez, executive president of Cooperativa Abraham Rosa, Puerto Rico; Sue Mitchell, CEO of Mitchell, Stankovic & Associates, Boulder City, Nev.; Murray Williams, COO of ICUL; Vicki Williams, formerly senior executive vice president and COO of the Alabama Credit Union League (ACUL), now executive vice president of association services at the League of Southeastern Credit Unions; and Gary Wolter, formerly president and CEO of ACUL, now retired.
"These are individuals who have repeatedly given their time and expertise to credit unions around the world," said Brian Branch, WOCCU executive vice president and COO. "Their volunteer work enables us to reach out to many more credit unions than we can by ourselves."
IEVC members and other volunteers contribute valuable technical assistance and credit union industry know-how, bolstering WOCCU's efforts in developing countries. Participants also gain international development experience through volunteer service to the global credit union movement.
"Credit unions derive their strength from volunteer efforts," said Pete Crear, WOCCU president and CEO. "Thanks to the generosity of this year's inductees and those who have come before, we've been able to tap into this vital energy and commitment on behalf of credit unions worldwide."
Past inductees into the four-year-old program include: Pat Bodnar, Arizona Credit Union League; Carlos Calderón, OAS Staff Federal Credit Union; Kathy Chartier, Members Credit Union; David Chatfield, formerly of the California & Nevada Credit Union Leagues (CCUL); Anne Cochran, Louisiana Credit Union League; Letty Cordon-Hernandez, formerly with CCUL; Richard Ensweiler, Texas Credit Union League (TCUL); John Florian, Ohio Credit Union League; Mary Martha Fortney, National Association of State Credit Union Supervisors (NASCUS); Dana Hofmann-Geye, formerly with the Minnesota Credit Union Network; David Low,20OSU Federal Credit Union; Kurt Lykins, Corporate One Federal Credit Union; Rick Myxter, Pennsylvania Credit Union League; Barbara Pogue, NASCUS; Bill Raker, US Federal Credit Union; Kasey Rockwell, Credit Union Association of Oregon; Marcus Schaefer, Truliant Federal Credit Union; Sarah Turner, Maryland & D.C. Credit Union Association; and Linda Webb-Mañon, TCUL.
World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) is the global trade association and development agency for credit unions. WOCCU promotes the sustainable development of credit unions and other financial cooperatives around the world to empower people through access to high quality and affordable financial services. WOCCU advocates on behalf of the global credit union system before international organizations and works with national governments to improve legislation and regulation. Its technical assistance programs introduce new tools and technologies to strengthen credit unions' financial performance and increase their outreach.
Worldwide, 54,000 credit unions in 97 countries serve more than 186 million people. In 2008, World Council's technical assistance programs reached 6.5 million people in 16 countries. Learn more about WOCCU's impact around the world at http://www.woccu.org.
Pacific Credit Union Technical Congress
The Pacific Credit Union Technical Congress 2009
The Pacific Credit Union Technical Congress, a collaboration between Credit Union Foundation Australia, the Fiji Savings & Credit Union League and the World Council of Credit Unions, was held in Nadi, Fiji Sept. 14 – 17, 2009.
Click here to read the full article...
WOCCU Conference Hosts First
Global Women’s Leadership Forum
BARCELONA, Spain—Nearly 40 top women leaders in the global credit union movement met as part of the Global Women's Leadership Network, immediately following World Council of Credit Union's (WOCCU) World Credit Union Conference here. The network,
launched earlier this year by WOCCU in collaboration with the Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA), is the first of its kind, bringing together women leaders from more than 15 countries to connect, share ideas and participate in a peer advisory program.
Network members met during an inaugural one-day forum July 30 to discuss leadership issues vital to credit union growth and development worldwide. Network members include CEOs, executives and board directors from credit unions and industry partners. Countries represented range from Australia and Belarus to Mexico and Zimbabwe.
Chetna Sinha of Mann Deshi Women's Bank in India shared her inspiring experiences with fellow Forum participants. “Women worldwide play an active role in finance and economics,“ said Chetna Sinha, founder and chair of India's Mann Deshi Women's Bank,
network member and forum participant. “It is very important that women occupy a leadership role in this industry because women's financial leadership capabilities are extraordinary.“
Despite operating in vastly different environments, women participating in the forum found they faced similar leadership challenges in their credit unions. Topics discussed during the forum's inaugural session included the critical impact women have in society and challenges facing women in leadership positions. Participants also broke into small groups to have in-depth discussions about strategic issues such as growing market share and facilitating greater access to credit unions worldwide.
Faced with the global financial crisis, credit unions worldwide recognize that cultivating future leadership is more critical than ever. The network, supported by credit unions and individuals alike, is designed to enable women in credit unions to connect, communicate and seek confidential advice from their peers around the world. Women did just that in the one-day forum and will continue to do so into the future via a new professional networking site developed for the network.
WOCCU and CCA are raising funds to offer women in both developed and developing countries greater access to credit union resources that will enable them to lead in the economic development of their communities. In addition to providing financial support to development efforts to increase access to financial services for women in field programs, leaders who join the network gain access to the peer advisory online forum and receive periodic updates on women in credit unions.
“Women play a vital role in the economic well being of families and communities worldwide,“ said Brian Branch, WOCCU executive vice president and COO. “The Global Women's Leadership Network will empower women not only to increase their effectiveness, but also to bring their leadership capabilities to the forefront. And that will benefit everyone.“
The 2010 Global Women's Leadership Forum will take place in Las Vegas, USA, in conjunction with The 1 Credit Union Conference to be co-hosted by WOCCU and the Credit Union National Association in July. For complete information about the network, visit www.woccu.org/involved/womensleadership, or contact Valerie Breunig at vbreunig@woccu.org for more information. Canadians may contact Julie Breuer at the Canadian Development Foundation jbreuer@coopscanada.coop to get involved.
For more info contact: Mike Muckian Organization: World Council of Credit Unions E-mail: mmuckian@woccu.org Phone: (608) 395-2080
Recent Articles
May 20, 2009
Discover and Act on the New Three R's of Organizational Development
by Susan Mitchell
Credit Union Times
Credit union recruiting and retention is a different ballgame these days. The poor economy, loan losses, corporate stabilization costs and market uncertainty demand more complex skill sets from prospective and current employees. Risk management experience is now just as, or more important, than successfully implemented growth strategies.