NASHVILLE–During its annual conference here, NAFCU partnered with Operation Homefront to have attendees assemble hundreds of backpacks that will be donated to military families in Nashville that are in need of school supplies.
“Operation Homefront does amazing work for military families and we’re delighted to work with them this year,” said Lisa Cox, NAFCU’s vice president of events, in a statement. “Credit unions enjoy giving back to their communities, and helping servicemembers and their families. This project is a great way for our attendees to show their appreciation for all that they do for our country.”
Based in San Antonio, Operation Homefront provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of servicemembers and wounded warriors. A national nonprofit, Operation Homefront leads more than 4,500 volunteers across a network of field offices, and has met more than 750,000 needs since 2002.
Ascensus, CUNA Mutual Group, MasterCard and Triad Financial Services sponsored the backpacks, which will each contain school supplies. Attendees at the conference will participate in filling the backpacks and writing a special note for each child receiving one.
Also at the NAFCU meeting:
The trade group announced the winners of the NAFCU/PAC 2015 White Hat Award and Credit Union Challenge Awards.
“These winners worked tirelessly to ensure the credit union industry has an effective voice before Congress,” said NAFCU President and CEO Dan Berger. “We are delighted to recognize the achievements of these dedicated credit unions and industry professionals.”
The White Hat Award is given to the NAFCU member credit union that raised the most money for NAFCU/PAC in the previous year. This year’s winner is Members 1st Federal Credit Union, headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Penn. This is the 12th time that Members 1st FCU, led by president and CEO and former NAFCU Board Member Bob Marquette, has won the award.
“Through exceptionally steadfast efforts and successful political fundraising efforts, Members 1st FCU and Mr. Marquette have demonstrated their extraordinary commitment to the credit union industry,” said Berger. “Their accomplishments go a long way toward ensuring that the good work of credit unions is resonating through the halls of Congress.”
Three credit unions won the Credit Union Challenge Award for raising the most money in direct individual contributions for NAFCU/PAC within their respective asset categories in 2015.
The winners are:
- JetStream Federal Credit Union in Miami Lakes, Fla. (less than $250 million in assets)
- SRP Federal Credit Union in North Augusta, S.C. ($250 million to $750 million in assets); and
- Visions Federal Credit Union in Endicott, N.Y. (greater than $750 million in assets).
Ed Templeton, NAFCU chair and president and CEO of SRP FCU, won the individual Challenge Award, which goes to the person who contributed the most to NAFCU/PAC in the previous year. Along with winning the individual Challenge award, Templeton helps lead his credit union to the Challenge victory through his support of SRP FCU’s staff and by impressing upon them the importance of participating in the political process, according to NAFCU.
NAFCU announced its 2016-2017 board of directors. Richard L. Harris, president and CEO of Caltech Employees Federal Credit Union, has been elected as NAFCU’s board chairman.
“NAFCU is a distinguished leader within the credit union industry and well-respected among regulators, lawmakers and the administration,” said Harris. “I welcome the opportunity to continue working with NAFCU’s officers and board members to foster a positive climate for our credit union members to grow and prosper.”
Newly elected to the board was Charles Rutan, president and CEO of Southwest Airlines Federal Credit Union, Dallas.
NAFCU officers for 2016-2017 are:
- Richard L. Harris, chairman and Region V Director - president and CEO of Caltech Employees Federal Credit Union in La Canada, Calif.
- Jeanne Kucey, vice chairman and Region III Director - president and CEO of JetStream Federal Credit Union in Miami Lakes, Fla.
- Debra Schwartz, treasurer and Director-at-Large - president and CEO of Mission Federal Credit Union in San Diego.
- Thomas W. DeWitt, secretary and Region IV Director – president and CEO of State Farm Federal Credit Union is Bloomington, Ill.
Other board members are:
- Martin Breland, Region II Director - president and CEO of Tower Federal Credit Union in Laurel, Md.
- Robert L. Fisher, Director-at-Large – president and CEO of Grow Financial FCU in Tampa, Fla.
- Gary A. Grinnell, Region I Director – president and CEO of Corning Credit Union in Corning, N.Y.
- Jan Roche, Director-at-Large - president and CEO of State Department Federal Credit Union in Alexandria, Va.
- Charles Rutan, Director-at-Large – president and CEO of Southwest Airlines Federal Credit Union in Dallas.
- Rod Taylor, Director-at-Large - president and CEO of Barksdale Federal Credit Union in Bossier City, La.
- Daniel Weickenand, Director-at-Large - CEO of Orion Federal Credit Union in Memphis, Tenn.
Daon Wins Innovation Award
Daon, a provider of mobile biometric authentication technology, won the 2016 NAFCU Services Innovation Award. The annual competition highlights outstanding innovations that help credit unions thrive in an increasingly saturated financial services market. Daon was selected for its IdentityX Platform that benefits the credit union industry, NAFCU said.
According to the company, IdentityX empowers individuals to securely establish their identity by capturing and fusing together a combination of authentication factors—biometrics (fingerprint/voice/face etc.), hardware token possession (their mobile device), encryption, PIN entry, and location-based technology.
"Daon has taken the financial services sector by storm," said Randy Salser, president of NAFCU Services. "This Innovation Award is yet another example of why the leading minds in banking, payments, and data security are choosing to partner with Daon.”
“We are delighted and humbled to be a NAFCU Services 2016 Innovation Award Winner,” said Tom Grissen, CEO of Daon. “NAFCU Services has been a great partner and we look forward to continuing to bring credit union members a faster, more convenient, and secure way to authenticate.”