MADISON, Wis. – The World Council of CUs said yesterday Pete Crear, the longtime league executive who led WOCCU since 2005, is retiring following the group’s annual conference in Glasgow, Scotland this summer.
Under Crear’s leadership, WOCCU launched development programs in Ethiopia, Haiti and Peru, and expanded its project in Afghanistan. WOCCU also launched training programs for credit union managers in Africa, Latin America and the South Pacific.
Crear was an executive at several state leagues, including president of the Michigan CU League, before serving as a top executive at CUNA. He was hired as president and CEO of WOCCU in 2005.
In 2008, the Foundation for Polish CUs, part of the Polish credit union system, awarded Crear the Feniks Prize, the Polish system’s most prestigious award, for WOCCU’s work helping strengthen credit unions in Eastern Europe. In 2007, he earned the Michigan League's Distinguished Service Award and was inducted into the MCUL Hall of Fame.
