WASHINGTON–Dick Ensweiler, the former president and CEO of the Cornerstone Credit Union League, will be inducted into the Cooperative Hall of Fame in May of
2019, along with three other cooperative leaders.
“This year’s Hall of Fame inductees reflect the very best co-op values,” said Rich Larochelle, chair of the Cooperative Development Foundation, which manages the Hall of Fame, in a statement. "Their life stories inspire us. Their demonstrated commitment to co-op principles and their achievements have strengthened co-ops and made a real and lasting difference in the lives of people and the viability of communities."
Ensweiler spent 50 years in credit unions, beginning while in college at State Central Credit Union as a management trainee, and not long after becoming the manager of Harley Davidson Credit Union.
“Throughout his career, Ensweiler was a driving force behind credit union advocacy. He led the effort to build Credit Union House (in Washington),” said the Cooperative Development Foundation.
Ensweiler would go on to hold positions with the Illinois league and CUNA Mutual Group before joining the then Texas league as CEO in 1995 and overseeing its expansion to serve CUs in Oklahoma and Arkansas and a name change to the Cornerstone CU League.
‘Dedicated’ to Credit Unions
“Ensweiler was also dedicated to extending the benefits of credit union membership to underserved markets. At the league, he created Juntos Avanzamos, an outreach program focused on serving Texas’ Hispanic population,” said the Foundation. “The Richard L. Ensweiler Fund was established to preserve his vision, enabling credit unions to earmark funds for the program. In 1999, Ensweiler even served as an advisor on then President-Elect Vincente Fox’s transition team, working to ensure that the Mexican community in the U.S. could transfer funds back to their families through credit unions at substantial savings.
Ensweiler also worked to broaden the scope of international credit union development. He spent time in Brazil studying credit union membership growth strategies, and, in 2008, received the World Council of Credit Unions’ Ambassador Award for his work to protect rural credit cooperatives in China.
In 2015, Ensweiler received WOCCU’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award. In 2017, he was inducted into the Cornerstone Credit Union League Hall of Fame. Also in 2017, the new America's Credit Union Museum Library was renamed the Richard L. "Dick" Ensweiler Research Library in his honor.
“He left an indelible mark on cooperative finance, helping millions of Americans reach their financial goals,” the Foundation said. “As an educator and mentor, he inspired generations of credit union professionals to embrace the cooperative principles at the root of the movement.”
Also Being Inducted
Additional inductees are Terry Appleby, retired general manager of Hanover Consumer Cooperative Society; Anne Reynolds, former executive director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Center for Cooperatives, and Richard Stammer, retired president and CEO of Agri-Mark Inc. and Cabot Creamery Cooperative.
All of the inductees will be recognized at the annual Cooperative Hall of Fame dinner and induction ceremony at the National Press Club in Washington on the evening of May 8, 2019.