Strides Taken To Ensure Diversity Within The Movement
By Joyce Moed, Reporter

Bridgeton, Mo.–In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Credit Union Journal surveyed the credit union industry leaders for their views on the strides taken to ensure diversity within the movement.

Hubert Hoosman, treasurer and funding committee co-chair for the African-American Credit Union Coalition, and president/CEO of Vantage Credit Union here, is pleased with the diversity growth among boards in the CU movement.

"I’m starting to see it more and more," he said. "I’m seeing more color, more diversity …  I see growth and diversity everywhere in credit unions boards, except for CUNA. Everyone is growing but CUNA, but I don’t feel any underlying message there."

At Vantage CU itself, three of the seven board members are minorities, Hoosman added. He said he is seeing numbers like that at other credit unions, with the exceptions of states such as North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming, which he believes simply do not have a lot Hispanic or African-American residents.

"But everywhere else, I’m seeing more diversity on the boards," he said. "I think we’re doing pretty good here in the Midwest."

Hoosman credit the African-American Credit Union Coalition as the force behind the growth.
"I do think the AACUC has served as an asset to the movement," he said, of the organization that began about 10 years ago.

Al McMorris, CUNA chairman, said that diversity among leadership is a goal two which any national group should aspire.

"To that end, CUNA has adopted a leadership selection and representation system that attempts to maximize every opportunity to foster and develop diversity among our national trade association’s leadership," he said. "With our sox regions and each region electing three representatives from asset-range groups of credit unions, and one representative from a state league in the region, the credit union movement has the prospect of selecting a broad representative group leadership from a very diverse group of credit unions."

"Can we elect a more diverse group of leaders?" McMorris continued. "Of course. Our system offers every chance for that result. At CUNA, we welcome and anticipate that development."
Mark Hawkins, who sits on the CUES board, and is the president/CEO of Altura Credit Union in Riverside, Calif., said that Altura’s board has been undertaking this for many years, making efforts to bring diversity to its board through recruiting and interviewing all board member candidates. At present, Altura’s nine-member board consists of five men, and four women–three are white, one is African-American, and five are Hispanic. One board member is in her 30s, one is in his 60s, and the remaining members are in their 50s.

"Because we are in Southern California, I feel we should be reflective of that population."

Hawkins said that when they lose a board member–usually when they pass away–"we use those opportunities a constructively as we can."

"Our board has always been of the mindset that this is what we need to do–to reflect ethnicity and gender is worthy."

Hawkins said they achieved this diversity by talking each board member candidate, and making sure they are active users of the credit union’s products and services.

"We had names submitted from our volunteers," he said. "That how we’ve gone through it. We’ve got some very good board members. We definitely have our members’ best interests at heart."

www.aacuc.org
www.vcu.com
www.cuna.org
www.altura.com
www.cues.org