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Global Women’s Leadership Network Announces Scholarship Winners

Arizona State Credit Union establishes memorial fund to support women credit union leaders

MADISON, WI (July 1, 2013) Seven women from Canada, Kenya, Macedonia, Malawi and Thailand will join nearly 100 women from 11 countries for the fifth annual Global Women’s Leadership Forum in Ottawa, Canada, thanks to scholarships funded by Lake Trust Credit Union (Mich., USA), Numerica Credit Union (Wash., USA) and The Members Group (Iowa, USA). The annual forum will be held in conjunction with World Council of Credit Unions’ World Credit Union Conference at the Ottawa Convention Centre, July 14–17, 2013.

“We are happy to welcome these dynamic credit union leaders to the World Credit Union Conference and Global Women’s Leadership Forum in Ottawa,” said Brian Branch, World Council president and CEO. “We look forward to learning from their diverse experiences and to their continued involvement with the global credit union community.”

The 2013 Global Women’s Leadership Network scholarship recipients are:

  • Lisa Marie Bonin, Corporate Procurement Specialist, Servus Credit Union (Canada)
  • Kruewan Chonlanai, Manager, Central Finance Facility Department, Credit Union League of Thailand, Ltd.
  • Barbara Gascoigne, General Manager, Jamaica Teachers’ Association Cooperative Credit Union Ltd.
  • Jelangat Irene, SACCO Operations Manager, Belgut Rural Women SACCO (Kenya)
  • Triza Tsiga Magreta, General Manager, Mudi SACCO (Malawi)
  • Cheryl Rettschlag, Manager, Banking Support Services, Servus Credit Union (Canada)
  • Eleonora Zgonjanin Petrovikj, CEO, FULM Savings House (Macedonia)

Scholarship recipients receive varying levels of financial support for their participation in the Global Women’s Leadership Forum, as well as a one-year Network membership. The Members Group also sponsored an additional membership for Elenita San Roque, CEO, Association of Asian Confederation of Credit Unions.

In honor of former Entrust Financial Credit Union CEO Susan Adams, who passed away April 8 after a battle with cancer, Arizona State Credit Union established the Susan Adams Scholarship Fund to support credit union women from developing countries through their participation in the Global Women’s Leadership Network. The scholarship will offset membership dues and costs associated with the Network’s annual forum for the next three years.

“Susan supported initiatives that were all about making life better for those in need. As a woman in the industry, she cared about the opportunity that she could provide as a mentor and leader to others,” said David Doss, Arizona State Credit Union president and CEO, who served with Adams on the PSCU board of directors. He noted that Adams and her husband, who retired last year, served the credit union industry for more than 30 years. “They were very much a credit union family committed to promoting a better future for others.”

This year’s Global Women’s Leadership Forum participants will hear from Sheryl WuDunn, the first Asian-American Pulitzer Prize winner and co-author of New York Times best-seller Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, which inspired a PBS television series and international women’s rights movement. She will present research from her book, as well as participate in a panel discussion centered on economic empowerment.

The Global Women’s Leadership Network was formed in 2009 to promote the professional and personal development of credit union women around the world through one-to-one networking, social media, peer-to-peer partnerships and educational workshops. It is the only international, professional group for women credit union leaders. Learn more at www.CUwomen.org and engage with the Network on LinkedIn.

World Council of Credit Unions is the global trade association and development agency for credit unions. World Council promotes the sustainable development of credit unions and other financial cooperatives around the world to empower people through access to high quality and affordable financial services. World Council advocates on behalf of the global credit union system before international organizations and works with national governments to improve legislation and regulation. Its technical assistance programs introduce new tools and technologies to strengthen credit unions’ financial performance and increase their outreach.

World Council has implemented more than 290 technical assistance programs in 71 countries. Worldwide, 51,000 credit unions in 100 countries serve 196 million people. Learn more about World Council’s impact around the world at www.woccu.org.

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