At the 43rd Annual Credit Union Ambassador Contest of Pennsylvania, Ellise Ortiz, representing the Montgomery County Chapter, was named the 2019 Credit Union Ambassador of Pennsylvania. The annual statewide contest was held during the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association’s (the Association) 85th Annual Convention & Expo held at Hershey Lodge & Convention Center in Hershey, PA. Ortiz works in the marketing department at TruMark Financial Credit Union. For the next year, as the Pennsylvania Credit Union Ambassador, Ellise will represent the Association at events.
Seven finalists won regional contests before advancing to the state finals. The finalists completed a written exam before presenting speeches about credit union topics. A panel of three judges selected the winner, tallying scores from the test, personal interviews, and their speeches.
The additional contestants were:
- Devon Donahue – NW Susquehanna Chapter
- Julian Gerace – Philadelphia Chapter
- Stephen Hocker – Harrisburg Chapter
- Terri Shubilla – Northeast PA Chapter
- Mary Wagner – Erie Chapter
- Sara Zambrano – York Chapter
The contest judges were:
- Mary Elicia DelSanto, National Business Consultant, CU Solutions Group
- John Giordano, President/CEO, First Heritage Financial LLC
- John Martin, Principal, Pillar + Aught
The Pennsylvania Credit Union Association conducts the contest to attract young people to credit unions and prepare them for leadership roles. Credit union members or employees between the ages of 21 and 30 compete and are sponsored by the Association’s chapters. The contestants are judged on their knowledge of credit unions and their ability to communicate that knowledge.
Several hundred young people have competed in the Credit Union Ambassador Contest, formerly the Youth Ambassador Contest, since the early 1970s. Many of the contestants have gone on to hold volunteer and leadership positions within the credit union movement.
Credit unions are financial cooperatives that provide affordable financial services to help their owner/members.
Ellise Ortiz