TFCU (EL Paso Area Teachers Federal Credit Union), located in El Paso, Texas, has engaged Credit Union Strategic Planning to elevate its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts to a strategic level, so it becomes engrained in the credit union’s culture.
TFCU, with $730 million in assets, was seeking expert guidance to prioritize its DEI efforts, CEO Max Villaronga explained. “We believe that a diversity of perspectives and ideas leads to more optimal decision making,” he said. “Strategically, it is valuable to embrace various types of diversity to deliver better decision-making outcomes. The ongoing nature of the engagement is related to the reality that cultural transformation takes a lot of time.”
So, why CU Strategic Planning? “Two words: Ronaldo Hardy. He genuinely cares and understands DEI which fit what we were trying to do,” Villaronga said.
“We are truly grateful TFCU and Max see DEI as a top priority,” CU Strategic Planning Chief Diversity Officer/Co-Owner Ronaldo Hardy said, “I’m gratified that organizations, like TFCU, are developing intentionality around their efforts toward diversity, equity and inclusion. I’m honored and humbled they selected me and CU Strategic Planning to help the credit union along its DEI journey.”
“Beyond return on diversity,” Villaronga added, “We feel it is a moral imperative to create a maintain a culture of DEI. The culture at TFCU is grounded firmly in fairness and human dignity, which aligns closely with DEI.”
Hardy, formerly CEO at Southwest Louisiana FCU, has headed up CU Strategic Planning DEI consultancy for the last year. He is a thought leader and highly sought-after speaker on DEI, raising awareness of and knowledge about the practicum as a keynote speaker at CUNA Management School, SW CUNA Management School, Western CUNA Management Alumni Association, CUES, and the NCUA's Inaugural Diversity Summit. Hardy has been published in many credit union industry publications and dozens of credit union CEOs seek his counsel. For more information on Hardy’s thoughts regarding the business case for DEI, download this free white paper, 7 Ways Highly Profitable Credit Union Calculate the Value of DEI.