Press
Gesa Credit Union Demonstrates Dedication To Cooperative Movement
Brian Griffith
Marketing and Communications Manager
bgriffith@gesa.com
509.378.3100, Ext. 3205
Education Specialist Teresa Shively Completes Intensive Week-Long Training To Earn Prestigious Credit Union Development Educator (CUDE) Designation
RICHLAND, Wash. (JUNE 2012) – Teresa Shively, Education Specialist at Gesa Credit Union, has earned the prestigious Credit Union Development Educator (CUDE) designation after completing intensive week-long training sponsored by the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) on the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison, Wisconsin.
The Development Educator (DE) Training provides sessions in cooperative principles and the credit union philosophy while incorporating challenges credit unions face today. The number of attendees in a session is limited to 42, with two training sessions held each year. Participants are selected by their credit unions and run the gamut of credit union professions. This year’s spring session included participants from across the United States, and one from Kenya participating through the African DE Scholars Program. The CUDE designation has been earned by 1,000 credit union professionals over the past 30 years.
“Gesa is committed to advancing financial literacy in Eastern Washington,” Gesa President & CEO Christina Lethlean said. “We’re excited Teresa Shively had this opportunity to enhance her skills with this training, and we’re proud of her accomplishment in earning the CUDE designation. The Development Educator training underscores that the credit union cooperative model and the philosophy of people helping people are far more than just words. To quote Edward Filene, ‘It’s a great movement, worthy of great deeds, deserving of great loyalty.”’
“It’s very important for me to recognize the role I play in articulating the credit union cooperative philosophy and carrying that cooperative spirit,” Shively said. “Even after working in the credit union industry for over 23 years, I never fully understood the credit union movement and our cooperative roots. I look forward to sharing my excitement!”
Teresa Shively coordinates and serves as community liaison for Gesa’s High School and Community Outreach programs encompassing seven student-operated high school branches, financial education workshops in local high schools and colleges and seminars for teens and parents. She serves on the Kennewick School District and Richland School District Marketing & Business Advisory committees, chairs the Executive Committee for the Area Leadership Conference, and is a member of Washington state’s Credit Union Youth Development Council, an organization of credit union professionals dedicated to promoting youth financial literacy statewide.
Gesa Credit Union has served Washington state’s Tri-Cities community since 1953 and is one of the state’s largest credit unions, with more than $1.2 billion in assets and over 107,000 members. Gesa offers home loans, consumer and business loans, savings, checking, and money market accounts, and certificate and IRA accounts. Headquartered in Richland, Wash., Gesa has 10 local full-service branches and seven student-operated high school branches – the most in the state. Gesa’s commitment to local communities includes support for Junior Achievement, Tri-Cities Habitat for Humanity, annual youth scholarships, and free financial seminars open to members and the general public.