The National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions is supporting the development of a new trade association, the National Association of Latino Credit Union Professionals (NALCUP).
Support for the new organization grew out of a series of discussions between the federation's executive director, Cliff Rosenthal, and the leaders of two Washington, D.C.-based credit unions, Carlos R. Calder?n, CEO of OAS Staff FCU (and the head of CUNA's task force on Latino outreach); and Carla Decker, CEO of District Government Employees' FCU.
NFCDCU will provide NALCUP with an initial infrastructure, a center of operations, and access to community development credit unions (CDCUs) across the country, including many that operate in predominantly Latino communities with predominantly Latino staff. The new trade group, however, will not be a program or subsidiary of the federation and will have its own organization with its own goals, mission, and vision.
"Our objectives," explained Calder?n, "include creating a network to discuss issues affecting the Latino community, fostering career development and advancement of Latino credit union professionals, promoting credit union membership and benefits to Latino communities, and strengthening the leaders that will enable credit unions to better understand and meet the financial needs of Latinos."
