ALEXANDRIA, Va.-Gilbert Gonzalez, deputy undersecretary for policy and planning for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Office, is the most recent name to be added to a list of potential NCUA Board appointees, according to a source knowledgeable about the NCUA Board appointment process. The White House began vetting Gonzalez a few weeks ago, the source said, who formerly served as president of the Community Development Loan Fund, Inc., in San Antonio, Texas, where he raised funding for community development projects, primarily for Hispanic neighborhoods. The Texas and Hispanic ties, in combination with the fact that he is already in the administration, could help push Gonzalez over the edge with President George W. Bush (a Texan), considering the administration's push for minority homeownership. He's also reportedly very active in Republican politics. Other names that have been floated for the nomination have included Alaska USA Federal Credit Union Vice President Nancy Usera, Lockheed Employees Federal Credit Union President Ed Collins, Arizona Banking Commissioner Richard Houseworth, and Wyoming lobbyist Dan Sullivan. Gonzalez has already had dealings with NCUA in his current position as a signatory of the partnership agreement between the Department of Agriculture and NCUA under the auspices of NCUA Chairman Dennis Dollar's Access Across America initiative. He also spoke at NCUA's El Paso Access Across America Workshop. The source added that Gonzalez has contacted the White House and expressed his interest in the seat of Dollar whose term expired in April. Gonzalez has also reportedly been in contact with key credit union officials, including Dollar. -

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