HOLLYWOOD, Calif.–Six credit union industry leaders and volunteers, as well as the Southern California CU Alliance, were honored during the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues’ REACH Conference here. Also recognized at the meeting were those individuals who have been most active in political advocacy.
The honorees of the Leo H. Shapiro Lifetime Achievement, Distinguished Service, Outstanding Volunteer, Tomorrow’s Star and Kim Bannan Eternal Flame awards were recognized during the event.
The 2018 recipients included:
- Leo H. Shapiro Lifetime Achievement Award: retired California Credit Union CEO Ron McDaniel
- Distinguished Service Award: Delta Schools Federal Credit Union CEO Rob Greaff and Wescom Credit Union CEO Darren Williams
- J. Alvin George Outstanding Volunteer Award: Patelco Credit Union Board Member Race Chen
- Tomorrow’s Star Award: Rebecca Boles of SkyOne Federal Credit Union and Kathy Ramirez of Inland Valley Federal Credit Union
- Kim Bannan Eternal Flame Awards: Upward Federal Credit Union CEO Linda White (individual), Southern California Credit Union Alliance (credit union/organization)
The leagues provided additional details and commentary for each of the winners, below:
Leo H. Shapiro Lifetime Achievement Award
This is the League’s highest honor, recognizing excellence in credit union philosophy and a lifetime of contributions to the California credit union movement. It is named after Leo H. Shapiro, father of the California credit union movement and founder of the League.
Ron McDaniel was recognized for his more than 40 years of service, including serving as president and CEO of California Credit Union (Glendale, CA) since 2004, and for being such a strong advocate of the credit union movement. Among his many and varied accomplishments were serving as part of the League ATM Task Force from 1980 to 1982 at a time when most credit unions didn’t have an ATM, and there were no nationwide ATM networks that banks would allow credit unions to join. CO-OP did not exist. Ron was part of the steering committee that conceived of the idea of creating a nationwide ATM network for credit unions. This idea ultimately led to the formation of the CO-OP system and later into shared branching. He also participated in the NCUA’s pilot “share draft” program, which created the first checking accounts for credit union members. And then in the late 1990s, as CEO of then-Point Mugu Federal Credit Union, he was among those instrumental in the passage of the landmark H.R. 1151, the Credit Union Membership Act in 1998. McDaniel received the League’s Distinguished Service Award in 1999, the League’s Lifetime Award for Legislative/Regulatory Advocacy in 2016, and CUNA’s Buck Levin Award in 2016.
Distinguished Service Award
Recipients of the League’s Distinguished Service Award are honored for service to the credit union community outside the usual scope of employment and their chapter, with particular emphasis on the most recent three years.
Rob Greaff, CEO of Delta Schools Federal Credit Union (Antioch, CA), was recognized for his work within in the credit union industry (which spans some 25 years; 15 of those as CEO of Delta Schools) as well his outstanding efforts in the arena of financial education. At the 2014 REACH Conference, Greaff attended his first “Bite of Reality”, a program offered by the Richard Myles Johnson Foundation. The experience inspired him to create one of the most robust and successful financial literacy programs in the state. Under his leadership, Delta Schools has sponsored more than 7,000 students through the “Bite of Reality program in the past three years. In a single session, he guided his credit union to a record 725 students. With more than 20 sessions to date, Delta Schools has created a financial literacy priority which now extends throughout the local school district. This inspiration is spreading to other school districts around his credit union and in only a few short years the number of students could easily double or triple. He is so passionate about “Bite of Reality”, that in 2015 he was asked to serve on the RMJ Foundation board.
Darren Williams, CEO of Wescom Credit Union (Pasadena, CA), was honored for his active involvement within the credit union industry and community outreach efforts. One of Darren’s most prominent endeavors to introduce more Southern Californians to the credit union was the reveal of “Big Blue,” the Wescom mobile branch, which allows for onsite account openings, ATM cash withdrawals, and appearances at community events. He even drove the 35,000-pound truck from Florida to California himself. In 2015, the credit union launched the #WescomKindness campaign where staff perform “Random Acts of Wescom Kindness”, such as surprising customers by picking up the tab at food trucks or coffee shops near branches. Since the initiation of these community-focused outreach efforts, the credit union has seen a 20-percent increase in new members. In the past three years, Wescom has donated $582,000 to local charities through the WeCare Foundation, the employee-funded, not-for-profit organization initiated by Williams in 1999. Since WeCare’s inception, $2.2 million has been donated, including thousands of employee volunteer hours. In addition, the credit union has donated nearly $100,000 to Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals® in the past three years. Williams currently serves as a Board Member on Credit Unions for Kids® Wine Auction Executive Committee and the Advisory Board of CMN.
J. Alvin George Outstanding Volunteer Award
This award honors significant contributions over the most recent three years by people who serve credit unions in volunteer capacities, such as a director or committee member. It was renamed in 2013 in honor of the long-time credit union volunteer, J. Alvin George, who passed away that same year.
Race Chen has served as a volunteer for Patelco Credit Union (Pleasanton, CA) since 1996; holding several positions within the Credit Committee, Supervisory Committee, and Board of Directors. He’s also been very active as a member of the Board of Governors for the El Camino Chapter, heading many committees and participating enthusiastically in all chapter functions including many charitable fundraisers for industry as well as community events. And he is an active participant in advocacy efforts, including attending GAC and League’s GRR. He is Patelco’s go-to government affairs representative.
Tomorrow’s Star Award
The League’s Tomorrow’s Star Award recognizes the achievements by young credit union professionals age 35 and under, particularly over the most recent three years.
Rebecca Boles, a marketing manager for SkyOne Federal Credit Union (Manhattan Beach, CA), has been a leader, not just in the marketing department but throughout the credit union. She played a key role in developing the member communications in several of SkyOne’s merger conversions, rewards program conversions, and card processor conversions. Her work included developing microsites, eblasts, letters, writing content, designing graphics, and developing FAQs for both members and staff. She is passionate about member service and member experience. In 2017, she helped implement Satmetrix, a sophisticated system that administers and tracks Net Promoter Surveys, an important measure of member loyalty. She worked closely with our business partner and various department managers to implement this system and has developed a process to follow up on members’ feedback and take action to enhance our products and services. Because of her accomplishments, she was promoted from senior marketing specialist to marketing manager in 2017.
Kathy Ramirez, operations manager for Inland Valley Federal Credit Union (Fontana, CA), is a tireless advocate of financial education and services to the underserved Latino community served by the credit union and frequently discusses the value of credit unions to workers in local establishments; encouraging them to open accounts to gain financial independence from the high-fee alternatives. She works with many local community organizations and schools in Fontana and Rialto to provide information on credit unions and has performed seminars on managing money and budgets for employees of our local businesses. In addition, she has been involved with her local credit union chapter as well as volunteered her time for the Southern California Credit Union Alliance. She is also an active participant and contributor at the credit union’s Core Processor User Group, the Leagues’ Shapiro Group, and other League events.
Kim Bannan Eternal Flame Awards
These awards recognize efforts that contribute to the success and future of Shapiro Group credit unions and are named after the League’s late vice president of credit union development and research and information.
This year’s recipient in the individual category, Linda White was honored for her long-standing and strong support of Shapiro-sized (smaller) credit unions, including serving as chair of the Leagues’ Shapiro Advisory Committee. She began her career as a teller at a small credit union and has moved up to become the CEO of Upward Credit Union in Burlingame, CA) Throughout her career, White has been very involved in the credit union movement, including various committees and organizations (such as the Leagues’ El Camino Chapter board of governors; she’s currently the president). For her accomplishments, she received the Leagues’ Distinguished Service Award in 2012. In addition, she has been a friend to all fellow Shapiro credit unions, as demonstrated by her willingness to collaborate, offer assistance, or just lend an ear.
The recipient in the company/credit union category, the Southern California Credit Union Alliance was established ten years ago, in 2008, by Jon Hernandez (President/CEO for CalCom Federal Credit Union in Torrance, CA; Nikkei Credit Union in Gardena, CA; and Mattel Federal Credit Union in El Segundo, CA), who pioneered the idea of bringing together CEOs to support one another and find ways to collaborate. The group started about15 CEOs in a credit union boardroom and has morphed into an alliance with 50 members and 45 business partners. The SCCUA has been successful in bringing together all sizes of credit unions for collaboration making it possible for the smaller credit unions to embrace the help of and build relationships with larger credit unions.
Advocacy Awards
Also recognized during the meeting were three individuals, two credit unions, and CUNA Mutual Group for their exemplary advocacy efforts. The winners are:
California Advocate of the Year: Jeff Napper, president and CEO of LBS Financial Credit Union in Long Beach, CA. Napper has devoted time and resources by hosting fundraisers and local meeting at his branches. He is always the first to assist with political efforts, by either contributing or supporting our advocacy work.
Nevada Advocate of the Year: Rick Schmidt, president and CEO of WestStar Credit Union in Las Vegas, NV. Schmidt has been a crucial component to the Nevada Credit Union League, serving board chairman as well as chairing the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection’s Credit Union Advisory Council. He helped PAC Committee members hand-deliver checks to candidates and hosted more than 20 southern Nevada candidate interviews in his office.
California Nevada Credit Union Advocate of the Year: Orange County’s Credit Union. The Santa Ana-based credit union (with support from CEO Shruti Miyashiro) has organized and managed to participate as a full-spectrum advocacy team. This includes instilling the value and importance of participating in local, state, and federal government affairs. In addition, it increased its participation in payroll deduction and in local grassroots advocacy.
Nevada Credit Union Advocate of the Year: Boulder Dam Credit Union. The Boulder Dam, NV-based credit union and its CEO, Eric Estes (a member of the Nevada League’s Government Relations Committee) has spent many hours reviewing the potential impact legislation could have on Nevada credit unions. In addition, Estes has devoted significant time in the expansion of staff resources for full-time advocacy and developing relationships with various elected officials across the state.
Supplier of the Year: CUNA Mutual Group. The Madison, WI-based company has been an integral part of the League’s fight at the end of the California session to obtain a Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act (GLBA) exemption from California’s new privacy protection law. CUNA Mutual spent time on phone calls and emails working through the bill and issues with the League’s advocacy team. Successfully obtaining the GLBA exemption was a huge win for credit unions this year.
Political Professional of the Year: Marvel Ford from California Credit Union in Glendale, CA. Ford is the leader and organizer of the highly successful annual Multi Chapter PAC Golf Tournament held in Valencia, CA. This year, especially, she helped chapters break records when it came to fundraising goals. Additionally, she’s taken on a broader role in advocacy efforts with her participation at Hike the Hill events, CUNA’s Governmental Affairs Conference, and the California Government Relations Rally.