In early March, I joined about 6,000 other credit union leaders from across the country in Washington, D.C. for one of the most important traditions in our movement: showing up, speaking out, and advocating for the communities we serve.
Each year at America’s Credit Unions’ Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC), credit union professionals meet in our nation’s capital with the policymakers representing their states. What we bring into those conversations aren’t just policy priorities. We bring stories about real members, real challenges, and what it takes to serve our communities well.
For many years, I’ve had the opportunity to be one of those voices on Capitol Hill, sharing with Members of Congress what’s happening in Roswell and how our credit union is working to meet the needs of our members (who are also voters) in their districts.
Serving as Chair of the Government Affairs Committee at the Credit Union Association of New Mexico has given me a broader vantage point. I still see the passion and commitment of our New Mexico delegation, but I also see how those individual conversations fit into a coordinated national effort. When credit unions are aligned in what we’re saying, policymakers hear us differently.
From small community-based credit unions to larger credit unions, the message is consistent because the mission is. That consistency, and the authenticity behind it, reinforces that while our institutions may differ in size or geography, our purpose remains aligned.
These moments aren’t just symbolic. They directly impact our ability to serve and are imperative to the future of cooperative finance.
Advocacy is how we protect what matters
At its heart, credit union advocacy is about protecting access: to affordable financial services, to safe and responsible innovation, and to the cooperative model that puts people before profit.
It’s clear that working in lockstep with the League System, America’s Credit Unions’ mission to advance, empower, and protect credit unions allows us to better serve our 145 million members nationwide. In short, for me, they are working so I can serve my members better; so that Roswell Community Federal Credit Union, with $50 million in assets, can help members in our community reach their financial goals.
Advocacy priorities can often sound grandiose: expand access to financial services, reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens, and support policies that strengthen housing affordability and consumer protection. But let me be clear, these issues are not abstract. They directly impact our ability to serve rural communities, members of the military, small businesses, and families working to build financial stability. For Roswell Community Federal Credit Union, these priorities translate into something very real: our ability to offer affordable loans in a low-income community and ensure our members aren’t burdened by unnecessary regulatory costs that ultimately raise prices.
Advocacy is intentional and ongoing
One of the clearest lessons from this year’s conference is that effective advocacy doesn’t happen by accident. It has to be intentional and coordinated. Because while large banks may rely on scale and resources, credit unions have something far more powerful: purpose and community.
Achieving meaningful policy outcomes requires a unified voice across the entire movement. Whether large or small, urban or rural, every credit union shares the same mission and the same responsibility to advocate. When we align our efforts, we amplify our impact. When we tell our stories together, we build understanding. When we show up together, we ensure credit unions are heard.
As I returned home to New Mexico from GAC, it was very clear that our work is not done.
Advocacy does not begin and end in Washington, D.C. It happens every day, in our communities, in our branches, and in our conversations with policymakers at every level. We must remain engaged. We must remain united. And we must continue to advocate—for our members, for our communities, and for the future of the credit union movement.
