First Service Credit Union hires an industry expert to champion member-owned financial cooperatives. Steve Gilman will serve as the Director of Political Advocacy and Community Relations. He is a 45-year veteran of the financial services industry, and was most recently the President and CEO of Houston Texas Fire Fighters Federal Credit Union.
His experience as a leader and influencer among industry peers and legislative officials will allow him to advance vital credit union issues. Steve believes it is extremely important for organizations like First Service to have a voice in the legislative and regulatory decisions made by elected officials. Credit unions must be active in political affairs that would affect the good of their membership. “As member-owned financial institutions, we must be able to offer our members the best products and services possible to help them to achieve financial success,” Gilman said.
“By focusing my efforts on advocacy, I’ll be able to respond quickly to matters affecting the credit union and our members,” said Gilman, First Service Credit Union’s Political Advocacy and Community Relations Director. “In some cases, I’ll be asking for the assistance of our staff, members, and volunteers to push back on proposed legislation or regulations that we feel would be harmful to our success. A recent proposal concerning IRS reporting requirements would not only have negatively affected credit union members’ account privacy but also increased the regulatory burden for credit unions. Gilman met with elected officials to convey the impact and concerns legislation like this would have. His efforts along with legions of advocates across the country resulted in the IRS provision being removed from the bill.
Steve is also a member of the Texas Credit Union Commission and the Credit Union National Association’s Governmental Affairs Committee. He has also served as Chairman of the Houston Chapter of Credit Unions and Chairman of the Cinco Ranch Rotary Club.
