FEDERAL WAY, Wash. -- Susan Streifel, president/CEO of Woodstone Credit Union, has been inducted into the Credit Union House Hall of Leaders. Streifel’s induction caps her stellar career in the credit union movement and comes as she announces her retirement from Woodstone CU on June 30.
The Credit Union House Hall of Leaders, located within the Credit Union House in Washington, D.C., permanently recognizes credit union leaders who have made a significant impact on the credit union movement at the local, state, or national level.
In congratulating Streifel on the "well-deserved honor" of her induction, Credit Union House Chairman Brett Thompson and Credit Union National Association (CUNA) President/CEO Jim Nussle cited the "outstanding level of service" she has provided the credit union movement. "Throughout the course of your career," they wrote in a letter addressed to Streifel, "you have demonstrated outstanding leadership and dedication to credit union philosophy. Your long involvement with political advocacy has been critical to promoting credit unions at both the state and national level. Your exceptional leadership serves as a model for credit union advocates throughout the country. We thank you for your strong commitment to the credit union movement, for preserving the values on which it was built, and for securing a bright future for all credit unions and their members."
In her work furthering the credit union movement both at home and abroad, Streifel has served on committees and boards of directors for local, state, and national credit union organizations. Streifel spent 10 years on the CUNA board of directors. In 2015, Streifel was named board chair. As only the fourth female board chair in CUNA’s history, she said at the time, “I am deeply humbled and honored to serve my peers in this exciting new role. Going forward, I plan to focus on making sure the structure and governance of credit unions helps them stay competitive and help credit union leaders understand the power of their communities as roots for effective advocacy.”
Streifel joined Woodstone Credit Union—then called Weyerhaeuser Community Credit Union—as vice president in 1996, and was promoted to executive vice president in 2000. In 2002, she was named Woodstone’s president and CEO. Under Streifel’s leadership, Woodstone has grown to $100 million in assets and 11,000 members.
As CEO of Woodstone, Streifel is well-known in both the Federal Way community and the credit union industry as a champion of community service and credit union advocacy. In Federal Way, Streifel has served on the boards of the Greater Federal Way Chamber of Commerce, Advancing Leadership, and Valley Cities Behavioral Health. In 2014, she was named to the Blue Ribbon Panel that provided a critical analysis of the operational pro forma, financing plan and construction estimates, and economic impact to the City of Federal Way for the new Performing Arts Center.
Above right, from left, John Zmolek, president/CEO of Verity CUC; Susan Streifel; Debie Keesee, president/CEO of Spokane Media FCU, and Troy Stang, president/CEO of NWCUA