Two CU Leaders Nominated for TIAC Membership

September 29, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Patrick Keefe, CUNA Communications
(202) 508-6765
pkeefe@cuna.com

CUNA has nominated two for membership to the Federal Reserve’s Thrift Institutions Advisory Council (TIAC): Harriet B. May, president and CEO of Government Employees Credit Union (GECU) of El Paso, Texas, and Mary Cunningham, president and CEO of USA Federal Credit Union in San Diego, Calif. Following is the text of the nomination letter sent by CUNA Chairman Juri Valdov.

VIA E-MAIL: jane.vergel@frb.gov

September 29, 2006

The Honorable Randall S. Kroszner
Member of the Board of Governors
of the Federal Reserve System
20th Street and C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20551

Dear Governor Kroszner:

On behalf of the Credit Union National Association (CUNA), we are pleased to nominate Ms. Harriett May, President and Chief Executive Officer of Government Employees Credit Union in El Paso, Texas and Ms. Mary Cunningham, President and Chief Executive Officer of USA Federal Credit Union in San Diego, California, as members of the Federal Reserve Board’s Thrift Institutions Advisory Council. By way of background, CUNA is a national trade association, representing approximately 90 percent of the nation’s 8,800 state and federal credit unions, which serve nearly 87 million members.

Ms. May and Ms. Cunningham would make significant contributions to the work of the Thrift Institutions Advisory Council. Ms. May is a graduate of the University of Texas – El Paso and began her career at Government Employees Credit Union in 1974, where she was selected as President and Chief Executive Officer in April 1996. Government Employees Credit Union is El Paso’s largest locally-owned financial institution with over $1 billion in assets, 248,000 member-owners, and over 550 employees.

Ms. May is recognized as a leader throughout the credit union movement. Nationally, she serves on the Board of Directors of CUNA, and Town North Bank, a bank owned by credit unions. She serves as a member of the Filene Institute Research Council and is a Delegate to the World Council of Credit Unions, the world’s leading advocate and development exchange for credit unions. Also, she is a member of the Pulse EFT Oversight Committee and is a past director of the Texas Credit Union Foundation, the charitable unit of the Texas Credit Union League that is dedicated to improving the financial well-being of consumers.

In 2005, Ms. May was rewarded for her efforts in championing small business by being named Minority Business Advocate of the Year by the Small Business Administration. In 1997, she was honored with the prestigious YWCA Reach Award for her achievements in the business community and in 2000 she received the Gold Nugget Award from the College of Science at the University of Texas – El Paso.

Ms. May is very active in the El Paso community as well. She is the current Chairman of United Way - El Paso, having volunteered her time for many years. She is also on the board of directors of the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Rotary Club, and has been active with the Children’s Miracle Network, an alliance of premier children’s hospitals that each year provides care for 17 million children.

Ms. Cunningham has thirty-one years of experience in financial institutions. She has served as a credit union chief executive officer of four credit unions over the past twenty-two years and has been Chief Executive Officer of USA Federal Credit Union for the past five years. USA Federal Credit Union serves all branches of the military with specific emphasis on the U.S. Navy, as well as 170 select employee groups in and around the San Diego area. The credit union has twenty-two branches, including twelve branches in Japan and Korea. USA Federal Credit Union currently serves 62,000 members and employs 235 staff members.

Ms. Cunningham is a graduate of Central State University in Edmond, Oklahoma and began her career with credit unions immediately upon graduation. She is the current Chairman of the National Credit Union Foundation Board of Directors. The National Credit Union Foundation is the primary charitable and fundraising organization for global credit union development. Ms. Cunningham has also served as Chairman of the Credit Union Executive Society Board of Directors and as a member of the Filene Research Council, an organization dedicated to the analyses of issues affecting the future of consumer finance and credit unions.

I know you will receive nominations from many candidates, but Ms. May and Ms. Cunningham would make excellent choices. Thank you for your consideration of these outstanding nominees for the Federal Reserve Board’s Thrift Institutions Advisory Council.

Sincerely,

Juri Valdov
Chairman
Credit Union National Association

cc: Mr. Frank Berrish, President and CEO of Visions Federal Credit Union
       Mr. Jeff Farver, President and CEO of San Antonio Federal Credit Union

Copyright © 2008 - Credit Union National Association, Inc.