CINCINNATI-The pressure on credit union executives to succeed can be enormous, but one CEO has a plaintive request: don't forget what CUs stand for.
When asked what his mother, credit union pioneer Louise McCarren Herring, might say to credit unions today if she could, Bill Herring offered this:
"In the early days, they talked about credit unions getting big without getting 'biggity.' She would be impressed with the growth of credit unions today and the amount of capital that is in the system. She believed you can't have a political democracy without an economic democracy, and credit unions made the difference. She would challenge us not to lose sight of the social mission of credit unions-not just growing, but bringing value back to the communities we serve.
"As credit unions have grown and average working people have seen their lives improve, she would make sure others are not left behind, such as the immigrant population or those in cities that are on the low end of the economic ladder. We can't forget we have to use the resources we have to find ways to bring credit union services to the underserved and the unserved. We have resources now that can make a big difference by leveraging the hundreds of millions of dollars of capital in the system.
"One thing that always impressed me was the courage of her convictions-from being a woman in a male-dominated world that would not let herself be discriminated against. The thing that deeply touched me was she believed in the dignity of the individual regardless of their social or economic status. She treated every person the same."
