41 Join Development Educators' Roll

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, Wash. - In a rustic setting on a wooded island across Puget Sound from Seattle, the first Credit Union Development Education (DE) class ever held outside of Wisconsin graduated 41 credit union leaders from the United States and the United Kingdom. Sponsored by the National Credit Union Foundation, BECU and the Washington Credit Union League, the DE training, held at Island Wood, added the 41 CU execs to the more than 700 others who have now earned the designation of Credit Union Development Educator (CUDE).

Graduation keynote speaker Carol Schillios, who graduated from the first DE Class of 1982, and this year earned the Herb Wegner Memorial Award for Individual Achievement, spoke of how credit unions touch lives on six continents, what being a CUDE means to her, and her award-winning cooperative that turns beggars to businesswomen in Mali, Africa.

Throughout the week-long DE training, participants learned about national and international credit union systems as well as development issues affecting people around the world. The training promoted credit unions' social responsibility and possible areas for domestic and international development.

Work groups chose subjects to research, then completed final projects proposing credit union solutions to modern challenges. The six final projects assigned to the work groups were to:

* Establish credit unions in the rebuilding of Iraq.

* Decide whether to merge or not to merge a small CU with a large CU.

* Decide whether to convert or not to convert a CU to a mutual bank.

* Plan to serve a low-income community.

* Design a national CU brand campaign.

* Recommend how NCUA should define the term "modest means" or why it should not.

In 2008, NCUF will again offer two DE training opportunities. The first DE class of 2008 will be held April 3-9 at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. The summer class is tentatively scheduled for August 14-20 at IslandWood. More than 60 potential CUDEs have already joined the waiting list. See the graphic above, for details.

How To Sign Up

For info on the DE program, contact Tom Decker at (608) 358-9183, e-mail cude ncuf.coop, or log onto www.ncuf.coop and click "Foundation Programs" then "Development Education."