Credit Union Development Education Program Trains Next Generation of Credit Union Leaders
CHANDLER, AZ (October 27, 2014) – First Credit Union’s Ocotillo branch manager, Susie Scadlock, was one of forty-four credit union professionals who became Credit Union Development Educators (CUDEs) through the intensive Credit Union Development Education (DE) Training from the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF).
The Fall DE training was held September 10-17, 2014 at the Lowell Center on the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison, Wis. The Fall 2014 graduating class included credit union movement representatives from across the U.S., Trinidad and Tobago, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
“DE has given me a better knowledge of the history of credit unions, its cooperative principles and our purpose,” Scadlock said. “I think when we go back to the roots of how and more importantly why credit unions were organized we have a greater appreciation and a greater sense of duty to educate our staff and our members about the credit union difference. When we fully understand the difference I think it changes how you see and do things. You start looking for ways that you and your organization can improve to better serve your members, and always asking the question ‘What is best for our member?’”
Team Projects
DE Training provides critical lessons in cooperative principles and credit union philosophy while incorporating challenges credit unions face today. During the week-long program, participants were involved in group exercises, field trips, issue discussions with speakers from around the credit union system, and were required to complete team projects proposing solutions for credit unions to help alleviate or eliminate challenging situations in any given area. For this class’ final case studies, participants worked through and presented solutions to critical issues that included opening an Islamic banking center, board development and recruiting, credit union solutions to payday lending, microfinance to women in the Philippines, developing credit union awareness, and a small credit union merger dilemma.
About First Credit Union
Offering trusted solutions since 1929, First Credit Union is a full-service financial co-operative offering a variety of deposit and loan products. Convenient services include free online banking & bill pay, mobile banking apps with remote check deposit, text banking, and account access at nearly 30,000 CO-OP ATMs and over 7,200 CO-OP shared branch locations. For more information please visit www.firstcu.net.
More about the DE Program:
The mission of the Credit Union Development Education (DE) program is to promote credit unions’ social responsibility and domestic and international development through interactive adult education and professional networking. By linking credit unions’ past and present, the DE program brings renewed relevance to credit unions’ seven cooperative principles and the philosophy of “People Helping People.”
Since 1982, more than 1,100 credit union advocates from over 34 countries have graduated from DE Training to become Credit Union Development Educators (CUDEs). Once they earn their CUDE designation, people return to their jobs with a sense of personal enrichment and renewed energy to share what they have learned. This growing corps of credit union advocates devotes professional and volunteer time to spreading the credit union message to audiences throughout the country. For more information on the DE program, visit www.ncuf.coop under Foundation Programs.