SNELLVILLE, Ga.–The African-American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC) plans to induct five credit union leaders into its Hall of Fame at the Virtual Induction on March 1.
The 2021 honorees are Anthony Bailey, Jim Blaine, Gerald Brooks, John Pembroke and Lynette W. Smith.
- Bailey has more than 25 years in the credit union movement, including 17 years at Pepco FCU and eight years at Department of Commerce Credit Union. He is a graduate of both Wesley College and Bowie State University.
- Blaine retired from State Employees' Credit Union in Raleigh, N.C., where he served as CEO from 1979-2016. SECU is the second largest credit union in the world, with $38 billion in assets and more than two-million members.
- Brooks is the chairman of St. Louis Community Credit Union (SLCCU). Under his leadership, SLCCU and Carrollton Bank began a collaborative agreement to increase lending, provide greater access to affordable services and expand financial education to the local underserved and LMI population. Brooks has also served as chairman of the African Heritage Association of St. Louis.
- Pembroke's experience includes 25 years in financial services, marketing and e-commerce. He served as chief marketing officer at PSCU Financial Services, and was named president/CEO of CUES in 2013, where he has played a leadership role in developing and launching a new direction in CUES' strategy, branding culture. Pembroke holds a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA in Marketing and Policy Studies from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago.
- Smith has been in the credit union industry for 31 years, and has served for the past 12 years as the president/CEO of TruEnergy FCU (formally Washington Gas Light FCU). She also serves on the board of the AACUC and on the board of the Metropolitan Area Credit Union Management. Smith received NAFCU’s CEO of the Year Award for credit union's under $150 million in assets.
‘A Stellar Leader’
"This year's honorees are shining examples of professional excellence. Each one is a stellar leader and contributor to the credit union movement," said Larry Sewell, AACUC chairman.
Visa is the presenting sponsor and the honorees are sponsored by NAFCU, Fiserv, Carolinas Credit Union League, State Employees' Credit Union of North Carolina and PSCU.