Honor Pete Crear’s Legacy by Continuing His Work

MADISON, Wis. — The African American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC) and World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) have teamed up to honor a groundbreaking credit union industry leader — outgoing WOCCU President and CEO Pete Crear — by raising funds to continue his work after he retires.

The newly created Pete Crear Fund, shared by AACUC and WOCCU, will honor Crear by supporting the work he was passionate about throughout his credit union career of more than 40 years. AACUC will use its share of donated funds to support financial literacy, minority internships and small credit union development programs. WOCCU’s share of the funds will support credit union development programs in Africa and training for African credit union leaders.

“Pete believed in building the credit union industry by training young adults for leadership positions,” said AACUC Chair Bert Hash, Jr., president and CEO of MECU (Baltimore, Md.). “Through the Pete Crear Fund, AACUC will continue providing internships, mentorships, hands-on technical assistance and management opportunities to encourage the youth and train them to become future leaders in the movement.”

After joining the credit union movement in 1965 as a management trainee with the Michigan Credit Union League, Crear drove the industry forward on a local, national and international level. Throughout his career he worked in leadership positions for the Connecticut and Indiana Credit Union Leagues, Credit Union National Association (CUNA) and the American Association of Credit Union League Executives before joining WOCCU in 2005. Under Crear’s leadership, WOCCU expanded its membership, increased its services and has reached out to a growing number of countries in an effort to improve more people’s lives through credit unions.

Give Crear the ultimate honor and make a U.S. tax-deductible donation at www.woccu.org/give. Please type “Pete Crear” in the comments box.

World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) is the global trade association and development agency for credit unions. WOCCU 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. WOCCU 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.

WOCCU has implemented more than 275 technical assistance programs in 71 countries. Worldwide, 54,000 credit unions in 97 countries serve 186 million people. Learn more about WOCCU’s impact around the world at www.woccu.org.

Contact: Jennifer Ballweg
Organization: World Council of Credit Unions
E-mail: jballweg@woccu.org
Phone: +1-608-395-2014

---