Whitefish CU's Charlie Abell Retires After 44 Yrs
WHITEFISH, Mont.-Whitefish CU, the state's largest credit union, said its long-time president and CEO Charles Abell will retire next month after 32 years at the helm.
Abell, now 70, joined what was then known as Big Mountain CU in 1965 at 18 and ascended to the top job in 1967. When Abell joined the credit unionit had just $780,000 in assets. It now has total assets of more than $1 billion, with about 57,000 members. The credit union also expanded beyond Whitefish to include offices in five other Northwest Montana communities.
He has been a community leader during that time, spending six years on the Whitefish School Board and serving as chairman of the North Valley Hospital Board. At one time, he was the president of the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce, a member of the board of directors at Big Mountain Ski Resort and a board member of the Winter Classic. He was named a Whitefish Citizen of the Century, an honor reserved for only five people in the city's history.
American Airlines FCU Lands At Miami Airport
MIAMI-American Airlines FCU continued its expansion at the nation's airports with the opening of its newest Miami International Airport Cargo branch.
The opening follows last month's introduction of a new branch at the American Airlines Cargo Building at Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
The $5-billion credit union also operates branches at Newark International, Kennedy, Ft. Worth and several other of the nation's largest airports.
NAFCU Promotes Lobbyist Dan Berger
WASHINGTON-B. Dan Berger has been promoted to executive VP of government affairs at NAFCU the trade organization announced.
Berger joined NAFCU just three years ago, coming in as a Senior VP of Government Affairs in January 2006 and has been named one of the most influential lobbyists in the nation's capital by The Hill magazine in the last six straight years.
Berger earned his B.S. in economics from Florida State University and a Master's in public administration from Harvard.
CDCU Institute Celebrates 10th Anniversary
MADISON, Wis.-The CDCU Institute celebrates its 10th anniversary this year as it has now trained more than 200 CU staff and board members.
The institute's training program, which runs Aug. 9-15 here, is designed for CUs that serve low to moderate income communities and are looking to improve/expand their services, grow significantly or provide products and services specifically for lower-income individuals.
For info: www.cdcu.coop
Experience Learning Live Awards Taking Entries
MADISON, Wis.-Entries are being accepted for this year's Experience Learning Live Training Awards program, sponsored by CUNA.
The ELLys are awarded to training programs and trainers for their outstanding staff development achievements and will be presented this October at the 2009 Experience Learning Live conference in Nashville. Awards will be presented for six different categories in two asset divisions.
For info: training.cuna.org and enter "ELLys" into the search form. Or call (800) 356-9655, ext. 4249.
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