INDIANAPOLIS–During the Indiana CU League’s recent annual meeting here, numerous Hoosiers were recognized for their achievements, including:
* David Abernathy, President/CEO of Via Credit Union in Marion, who was named Indiana Credit Union League’s 2015 recipient of the Professional Achievement Award. The presentation was made at the Chairman’s Awards Banquet at the JW Marriott Hotel.
With 45 years of experience in the financial services industry and his most recent 27 years in the credit union business, Dave has played a role in the financial well-being of thousands of Hoosiers over the years.
He has represented credit unions statewide since 2001 as a board member for Credit Union Centers, Indiana’s shared branching network. He is also a member of the Indiana Credit Union League’s Convention Committee and he has been active with credit union chapters since 1999.
Abernathy is also a member of the League’s Governmental Affairs Committee and has traveled to Washington, D.C. to represent credit union interests many times. He has also organized events for legislators and credit union representatives to interact. In 2009 he received the Indiana Credit Union Foundation’s Millie Cox Scholarship Award, which recognizes those who distinguish themselves through grassroots political involvement.
In addition to his work with credit unions, he is active in several organizations in Marion-Grant County including the Marion-Grant County Chamber of Commerce, the Grant County YMCA, the Grant County Economic Growth Council and the Grant County United Way. Abernathy has also been recognized with Elwood’s Samaritan’s Heart Award for Community Service and with the Beneficence Award for Leadership and Service which was presented by Ball State University.
The Professional Achievement Award recipient is chosen each year from nominees from around the state. Individuals are nominated for their professional accomplishments, their commitment to the credit union movement and the contributions they make to their credit union and community.
* Hoosier Hills CU President/CEO George McNichols was inducted into the Indiana Credit Union Hall of Fame.
McNichols served on the League Board from 1999-2001 and from 2004-2014. He was League chairman from 2008-2009. He has supported Indiana credit unions through active participation on several League committees, most notably the Governmental Affairs Committee, where he is a past chairman. He was chosen for induction by the League Board.
About his induction, he said “It is an honor to be included with the other Hall of Famers. I know a lot of people on that wall! I’ve always been a big believer in the cooperative business model and the value it brings to people. Credit unions’ role is important, and we provide great value in communities where we operate. It’s an honor to be recognized like this.”
McNichols’ credit union career began in 1975 while he was still a student at Indiana University. He worked part-time in the collections department at the university’s credit union for almost two years. After graduation he became a league rep at the Texas Credit Union League during what he remembers as “the heyday of credit unions.” Among other accomplishments, he was in the “Founders Club” because he played a role in organizing so many credit unions in Texas. Before returning to Indiana to work for Bedford Independent FCU in 1984, McNichols also was CEO at two Texas credit unions. Under his direction, Bedford Independent FCU became Hoosier Hills CU at the same time it underwent a state charter conversion in 1997.
McNichols has remained a passionate advocate for credit unions across the country. He serves at the national level as a member of CUNA’s Governmental Affairs Committee. For the League, he is a member and past chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee, and he is a member of the Political Involvement Leadership Advisory Group and the Board Development/Election Review Committee. He envisioned and championed the Network Credit Union Concept which was recently approved by NCUA and presented to credit unions nationally to allow credit unions to combine without giving up their unique brand identity and local market identity.
* Jeffrey McComas, President/CEO of Solidarity Community Federal Credit Union (FCU) in Kokomo, was inducted into the Indiana Credit Union Hall of Fame during the Indiana Credit Union League’s statewide Convention.
A 35-year veteran of the credit union industry, McComas became President/CEO in 1991. Under his leadership the credit union has grown from $25 million in assets to its current size of $213 million. It currently serves more than 25,000 members in Howard, Cass, Miami and Tipton Counties. Solidarity Community FCU is well-known in its market, and McComas has led a variety of member-focused initiatives including loan and deposit programs, electronic delivery methods and partnerships with community groups to delivery financial services and financial literacy.
McComas has served the credit union business as a board member for the Indiana Credit Union League and a member of several League committees including the Audit & Finance Committee. He has also held leadership roles at Indiana’s corporate credit union and at the credit union chapter level. Outside the credit union, he is a member of the Rotary Club and the Howard Community Hospital Foundation Board. He is a past member of the Howard County Chamber of Commerce and the Howard County Credit Bureau.
Of the award, he said, “I am pleased, honored and humbled to accept this award of being inducted into the Indiana Credit Union Hall of Fame and to join past recipients who I have long admired and respected. This is the most highly regarded award of my career. I want to thank my family and friends for supporting me and always being there for me.”
* Amanda Middleton of Financial Center First Credit Union in Indianapolis is a recipient of the 2015 Emerging Leadership Award from the Indiana Credit Union League.
Middleton is Managing Director of Member Experience at Financial Center First CU. She has been with the credit union for 10 years, starting as a district retail sales manager. She has also worked as electronic services manager for the credit union. An alumnae of the League’s ignite program, Middleton and her ignite teammates have worked on projects for member onboarding and for using credit card rewards as a means to save for children’s educations. Nationally she has represented her credit union at PSCU Knockout, a 24-hour collaboration event. She has also served as a diplomat for the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce.
The Emerging Leadership Award was developed in order to recognize the next generation of credit union leaders in Indiana for their accomplishments and for their potential to be an Indiana credit union leader in the future. Middleton was honored October 9 during the Chairman’s Awards Banquet, a special event during the Indiana Credit Union League’s annual convention.
* Meaghan Elpers of Evansville Teachers Federal Credit Union is a recipient of the 2015 Emerging Leadership Award from the Indiana Credit Union League.
Elpers is Vice President of Operations at Evansville Teachers FCU (ETFCU). She began as a teller at the credit union in 1999 and has also been a member service manager and director of operations. She played an important role in the credit union’s online banking and core conversions in the past two years, helping the credit union to become more operationally efficient. Twice she has been nominated by co-workers and received the ETFCU Employee of the Year Award. She has also been active in the Southwest Chapter of credit unions, serving as treasurer and as a member of the golf fundraising committee for several years.
* Milton Flowers, a board member at Financial Health Federal Credit Union in Indianapolis, is the Indiana Credit Union League’s 2015 recipient of the Leadership Achievement Award.
Financial Health Federal Credit Union serves Indiana University Health employees and a large area of low-income communities on the east side of Indianapolis. Flowers has played a role in developing and implementing a number of services that are unique to this membership base including the credit-builder loan program, a merger with an inner-city credit union and Financial Health FCU’s efforts to become a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site – the award-winning VITA program helped 860 taxpayers last year.
Flowers is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and served in Vietnam. He is currently Site Manager for Eskenazi Health’s Blackburn Health Center. Additionally, he volunteers with the 100 Black Men Financial Literacy Program. He has also held leadership positions with the Circle City Classic, the Boy Scouts of America, Christamore House and the Indiana African American Genealogy Group.
The Leadership Achievement Award recognizes credit union volunteers/officials who have given selflessly to promote the credit union ideal and to better the credit union movement in Indiana.