MADISON, Wis.–Dean Mahon, who had a long and influential career in the cooperative movement internationally and with the World Council of Credit Unions, has died.
Along with several others, Mahon was instrumental in the creation of the Credit Union Development Education (DE) program that was created in 1982 and which is offered through the National Credit Union Foundation.
According to the Foundation, Mahon’s work internationally with credit unions and cooperatives started in the 1970s when he was training director and volunteer cooperative management advisor for the Peace Corps. He then spent several years as cooperative sector study project manager for US Agency for International Development (US AID) and a rural finance consultant for various agencies.
In 1981, Mahon started a 13-year career at WOCCU, first as a training specialist and project manager where he designed and received funding for WOCCU’s first multimillion dollar projects in Cameroon and Togo, the Foundation said. He also managed the first national credit union assistance program resulting in the achievement of financial self-sufficiency for the host country (Cameroon) institution.
Mahon went on to become director of WOCCU’s European Office, where he represented WOCCU with European based members, related organizations, international development agencies, and other NGOs. The Foundation said that while leading that office Mahon planned and implemented representational strategies, developing relationships with 100-plus organizations in 30 European countries.
From the mid-1990s, Mahon worked as a microfinance/microenterprise consultant for various agencies around the world, specializing in microfinance, financial cooperatives, livelihoods, management and strategic planning projects, the NCUF said.
As Melvin Edwards of the Caribbean credit union community noted, “As the Fates would again design it, Dean departed this life during ICU Week 2016.”