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CUES® Director of the Year, Volunteer Hall of Fame Inductees Announced

Christopher Stevenson
CUES VP/Marketing & Professional Development
800.252.2664
608.271.2664, ext. 315
christopher@cues.org

MADISON, Wis.—The Credit Union Executives Society has named Charles Smith, chairman of First New York Federal Credit Union in Albany, N.Y., as the 2011 CUES Director of the Year. He will be honored during an awards celebration at CUES’ Directors Conference, December 5-8, at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

Smith began his credit union career in 1978 as a member of the supervisory committee, and was elected to the board of directors in 1980. In 1993, he was elected to his current role as chairman of the board. Under Smith’s leadership, the credit union grew from having one office location to having seven full service and three high school branches.

Throughout his tenure, Smith has been a strong promoter of succession planning, and was instrumental in creating an Associate Director Program that has been successful in filling vacancies on the credit union’s board of directors.
Smith also served in leadership positions throughout the credit union community, including as an active member of the National Association of Credit Union Chairmen for 21 years, and as president of the Mohawk Valley Association of Independent Credit Unions for eight years.

Additionally, five credit union directors will be honored as inductees into the CUES Volunteer Hall of Fame during the awards ceremony. They are:

  • Ertis Blake, chairman, Communications & Other Workers of Jamaica Co-operative Credit Union Limited, Kingston, Jamaica
  • Eric Jones, chairman, Elevations Credit Union, Boulder, Colo.
  • John C. Lay, CCD, chairman, Fairfax County Federal Credit Union, Fairfax, Va.
  • Donald L. Lee, CCD, chairman, IBM Southeast Employees’ Federal Credit Union, Boca Raton, Fla.
  • Donald E. Weaver, director, Indiana University Credit Union, Bloomington, Ind.

The CUES Director of the Year award recognizes board members for excellence in credit union volunteerism based on the achievements of the credit union; contributions to other credit unions, credit union organizations and the community; and professional development and education. The CUES Volunteer Hall of Fame award ensures outstanding directors are always remembered by recognizing individuals who have shown dedication to self-development, encouragement of full board development, and providing ideas for advancement of all credit union boards. Visit cues.org/doy and cues.org/vhof to learn more about each of these awards and their recipients.

The Credit Union Executives Society is a Madison, Wisconsin-based, independent, not-for-profit, international membership association for credit union executives. Its mission is to educate and develop credit union CEOs, directors and future leaders.

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