Co-op leaders recognize Blanchard

<p>WASHINGTON – A group of 10 credit union associations and state leagues together put up over $6,000 to fund the nomination of CUNA Mutual’s Larry Blanchard as an Honored Cooperator through the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA), an award he recently won. NCBA’s Honored Cooperator awards are meant to be not “merely plaques on the wall” but also to represent continuing growth in cooperative leadership, according to Jeannine Kenney, Director of Communications and Public Policy for the NCBA. Blanchard was recently awarded the Honored Cooperator award. Blanchard is senior vice president for corporate and legislative affairs for the CUNA Mutual Group. CUNA, CUNA Mutual Group, NAFCU, U.S. Central Credit Union, the National Cooperative Bank, and the California/Nevada, Colorado, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Washington state credit union leagues put up the money. The NCBA and the award sponsors wanted to recognize Blanchard’s history of service to credit unions and other cooperatives and in particular his efforts to build coalitions across the different types of cooperatives to influence federal policy, Kenney said. Based on the speeches made during the award ceremony the NCBA recognized Blanchard’s achievements date back 24 years in serving cooperatives. Blanchard said that his work helping to build the cooperative coalition that passed H.R. 1151 is the accomplishment for which he feels the greatest pride. The award ceremony took place at an NCBA-hosted breakfast at the new Credit Union House in Washington, a fact Blanchard called “especially gratifying.” Blanchard has held senior management positions at credit unions across the country and has served as senior staff at CUNA, NAFCU and NCUA before joining CUNA Mutual Group. He is the immediate past chairman of the Cooperative Development Foundation and serves on the boards of the Consumer Federation of America and NCBA. Blanchard is a member of the Governmental Affairs Committee for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, CUNA, the American Insurance Association, and the Wisconsin Federation of Cooperatives. He is an inductee into the CUES Hall of Fame and received the National Credit Union Foundation’s Herb Wegner Award for High Achievement.</p>