In a career that spans decades—and borders—one of the accomplishments Maria Martinez is most proud of is the work she has done to help put in place programs that can benefit underserved consumers.
“Throughout my career I have been able to implement programs such as free financial counseling and free income tax preparation that our low-income community has greatly embraced as a benefit,” said Martinez, the longtime CEO of Border FCU. “I am also proud of our credit union’s healthy financial growth and how we’ve been able to create competitive jobs in our underserved community.”
For her commitment to serving the underserved, Martinez is the recipient of the 2017 Herb Wegner Memorial Award for Outstanding Individual.
The $139 million CU is based in Del Rio, Texas, which borders the Northern Mexican province of Coahuila, and as part of her work at the credit union, Martinez has led several initiatives to provide financial services to low-income, predominantly Hispanic communities.
For example, in 2003, Martinez used a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to create a free home/financial counseling program to help people buy houses, develop a budget, improve their credit and become banked. Two years later, she obtained a grant from the National Credit Union Administration to create a Volunteer Income Tax Assistant service site where citizens can receive free tax preparation services from volunteer certified preparers and local high school accounting students. Today her VITA site is the busiest in the region, having processed more than 13,000 free income tax returns to date.
Martinez also fought for Border FCU’s Certified Acceptance Agent status, which allows them to provide non-U.S. citizens with an Individual Tax Identification Number.
As chairwoman of the Texas/Mexico Credit Union Relationship Committee (now called the Cornerstone Credit Union League’s International Relationship Committee), Martinez helped create a partnership with the Mexican credit union movement called Caja Popular Mexicana. CPM opens a dialogue between Texan and Mexican credit unions to share ideas and solutions and was awarded the Herb Wegner Award in 2006.
“At a time when credit unions are reaching out to the incredibly valuable and important Hispanic community, Maria has been a leader in her outreach, which has touched lives on both sides of the border,” said John Gregoire, chair of the Foundation’s Wegner Awards Selection Committee and president of The ProCon Group. “Maria is a shining example of performance and going beyond the responsibilities of her job, which is a testament to the award given in Herb Wegner’s name.”
She received similar praise from her colleagues at the credit union.
“Coming from Mexico as a child and growing up as a woman and a minority, Maria has dedicated herself to the betterment of individuals that would otherwise not have an outlet for their banking needs,” said Ruben Cisneros, COO of Border FCU. “She is full of energy and a true innovator in the credit union movement.”
Always giving back
Martinez joined the movement not long after graduating from college, taking a job as accounting manager for City Employees CU in San Antonio.
“Although this was a back-office position, I immediately embraced the ‘people helping people’ philosophy and I would volunteer for fund-raising activities and many other special functions, to the point that I became a leader of some of these activities,” she said. Martinez moved up the ranks while there and eventually moved on to Border FCU, where she served as VP of lending for three years before taking the helm as CEO.
“Here I am 20 years later, still enjoying my credit union career and serving my community,” she said.
Of special significance to Martinez are the “youth and young professionals” programs she has spearheaded at Border FCU. The credit union has run a Youth Fair since 1999 to introduce children to CUs, and in 2004 she helped launch Border FCU’s Youth Financial Summer Camp for kids ages 14 to 18.
In addition to educating the next generation of consumers, she’s also helping to build the next generation of credit union leaders. In 2014, Martinez started Border FCU’s young professionals group, now called The PULSE (Professionals United to Lead a Successful Economy).
“This group is made up of Border FCU employees who are 35 years of age or younger,” she explained. “The PULSE meets on a monthly basis to discuss credit union programs and issues affecting this age group. They are very active in the community and have organized Border FCU’s 5K run and an annual coat drive called ‘Cold Drinks & Warm Hearts.’”
These events, she noted, were held to raise funds for the credit union’s political action committee and to help the underprivileged.
“I’ve empowered them to be active and they have wholeheartedly embraced the idea,” she said.
As an experienced credit union professional, Martinez said that she is a “strong believer” in the youth and is “amazed” at their intelligence and kindness.
“We must pass on a good legacy to our young professionals because they are the future
leaders in our movement,” she observed. “My advice to our young professionals is to educate themselves as much as they can. Always make time to learn more and learn from the experts, be open-minded and show interest. And, most importantly, have a good heart to see the positive and the best that every person has to offer. Be compassionate to serve those in need. If you do good, good will come to you. And remember, prepare yourselves, because in a few years many of us senior management will be retiring and from there the possibilities are endless for our young professionals.”
