MADISON, Wis.–The first ever virtual class of graduates has completed the Credit Union Development Educators (CUDEs) program from the National Credit Union Foundation.
The 37 CU leaders participated in the September DE Training was held from Sept. 14 – Oct. 9, 2020. The virtual training was completed by employees and volunteers from credit unions and system partners across the United States credit union movement.
According to the Foundation, DE Training is a unique experiential training program that provides lessons in credit union structure, purpose and the “why” that differentiates credit unions from other financial institutions.
“During the Foundation’s signature program, participants engage in small and large group exercises and interactive speaker sessions focused on the credit union difference, development issues, and empathy,” the NCUF said. “Each lesson provides insights into how credit unions can leverage their unique business model to help their members and communities overcome the financial and developmental issues they face.
Class Graduates
The most recent DE graduating class included credit union movement representatives from across the United States. They are: Erin Allen, BALANCE in Texas; Aimee Berg, Unitus Community CU in Oregon; Stephenie Brown, Gather FCU in Hawaii; Stacy Burgett, American Airlines CU in Texas; Rebecca Cooper, 1st Mississippi FCU in Mississippi; Heaven Curl, CALCOE FCU in Washington; Page Dunn, Local Government FCU in North Carolina; Janell East, Credit Union National Association in Wisconsin; Andrea Finley, SC Telco FCU in South Carolina; Teresa Freeborn, Xceed Financial CU in California; Adam Freehling, PSCU in Florida; Noel Gabler, Alaska USA FCU in Alaska; Lori Gall, Vizo Financial Corporate CU in Pennsylvania; Emily Hagen, TwinStar CU in Washington; Lisa Hales, All in CU in Alabama; Albert Hernandez, Sequoia FCU in California; Davis Hong, National JACL CU in Utah; Brady Howe, Cutting Edge FCU in Oregon; Dawn Lepore, Vantage West CU in Arizona; Brittany Libbey, Lincoln Maine FCU in Maine; Terry Louvin, Southwest 66 CU in Texas; Kacie Mach, Ent CU in Colorado; Jason Mertz-Prickett, Upward CU in California; Michael Murdoch, Wauna FCU in Oregon; Armand Parvazi, New Orleans Firemen’s FCU in Louisiana; Natasha Rivers, BECU in Washington; Andrea Rusnak, PSCU in California; Cynthia Ryan, Connect CU in Florida; Catie Shannon, Credit Union National Association in Wisconsin; Mike Shockley, TrueSky CU in Oklahoma; Jon Skelly, TrueSky CU in Oklahoma; Walter Stepnowski, Coastal FCU in North Carolina; Evan Strandberg, iQ CU in Oregon; Robert Suarez, Bethpage FCU in New York; Patricia Veal, New Horizons CU in Alabama; Morgan Waterfield, Telco CCU in North Carolina; and Sarah Waters, Tennessee Credit Union League in Tennessee.
Training Staff
The program was facilitated by Chad Helminak, the Director of DE and Cooperative Culture at the Foundation and coordinated by Maggie Wolff from the Foundation.
Interested in Attending DE Training?
2021 DE Training dates will be announced soon, the Foundation said. Email cude@ncuf.coop to be put on a notification list to stay up to date on upcoming 2020 registration information, or click here for additional information.