WASHINGTON-After working on a congressional campaign and as chief of staff afterward-notably for Florida Democrat Dan Mica-Rich McBride, CUNA's executive vice president and Washington chief of staff, became accustomed to working to get someone else in the spotlight while working on the sidelines. Over the years, McBride has had to "learn to keep dozens and dozens of balls in the air at the same time," including behind the scenes at CUNA. "I'm involved in most decisions in both the business and advocacy side of things," he explained. Most of the senior staff reports to him and he provides guidance for those who do not when Mica is unavailable. "My main job is to make sure that every resource, every decision supports our long-term goals. You can easily loose that in an organization the size of CUNA," McBride added. His relationship with Mica goes back to college. The two attended Dade Community College together until they could get into Florida Atlantic University, which at the time was only for upperclassmen and graduate students. In tumultuous 1968, a newlywed McBride decided to join up with the Air Force rather than be drafted, but a previously unknown inner ear problem kept him grounded. Since he had received his bachelor's degree in urban geography, he ended up serving as a geographer and cartographer. As McBride's service in the Air Force was coming to a close, his father, who owned a trucking company specializing in transporting delicate electrical equipment, became ill. His father sold the company to a man who wanted to remain silent for a while and McBride became part of the deal, serving as general manager for five years. After working on Mica's campaign and being asked to serve as chief of staff, McBride thought it would be interesting to be in Washington for a time, but did not plan on staying in the nation's capital. He soon discovered, "`Potomac Fever' is real. There is so much happening in this town." Then from 1983 to 1993, McBride served on Capitol Hill as staff director for the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Operations and senior staff consultant on House Foreign Affairs Committee. Even after years of serving on the Hill, he admitted, he still would get goose bumps walking in D.C. at night and seeing the Capitol all lit up. He never dreamed the son of a truck driver would end up here, he said. Following his service on the Hill, he served as director of budget and planning for the International Broadcasting Bureau and executive director of the Board for International Broadcasting. Not long after he began there, his professional path crossed with Mica's again when Mica became chairman. In July of 1996, Mica was hired to be CUNA's new president and CEO. He called up McBride and asked where he was in his career and if he would be interested in working for CUNA. After visiting a board meeting, which included 50 board members at the time, while CUNA Services Group was trying to sell its cards division, McBride recognized the group's problems and potential. "The next couple of years were a complete roller coaster ride," he recalled. Renewal changed the attitude of the board, he said, and then came the AT&T court battle and H.R. 1151. Typically, in his career, McBride said he changed jobs every four to five years but he is sticking around at CUNA because the organization is "so wide and so deep" there are always avenues for improvement. He added that very few trades look like CUNA, partially because it was created to develop an industry not the other way around, as is the norm. While McBride's past experience in international relations has helped the World Council of Credit Unions' efforts and he has a keen understanding of small business, his proudest efforts have been in CUNA's relationship with the National Endowment for Financial Education. He characterized himself as a "driving force" behind the trade association's involvement in NEFE's High School Financial Planning Program. Many of his employees from his father's trucking company did not have basic financial knowledge or even checking accounts. Starting up CUNA's own financial education program would have been cost prohibitive, but an Oklahoma credit union CEO had been working successfully with the HSFPP and contacted CUNA about it. Now, four years into a five-year deal, CUNA has helped bring financial education into 1,000 high schools and to 100,000 students. The America's Credit Unions logo is on all the class materials, which CUNA sponsors. Though the structure may change slightly, McBride said CUNA does plan on continuing its work with NEFE. He added that when CUNA is on the Hill lobbying for bankruptcy reform, the group has the added bonus of being able to present concrete evidence of its work to create more financially literate consumers. "At the end of the day, we do good for the country, the people, and the world," McBride said of CUNA. With an interest group the size of CUNA, it is important to do things for the right reasons, he tells the lobbyists. "You wield a lot of power up there. Literally, we can make agencies go through hoops. You can drive them nuts," he explained, but you do not do that just because you can. With all the work McBride does at CUNA, it is a wonder he has free time for hobbies. Right now, he said, the biggest thing in his life is his six-year-old grandson and three-year-old granddaughter. He also enjoys reading, which he finds little time to do, but he planned to crack open Seabiscuit on his flight to CUNA's Future Forum in Reno. He and his wife enjoy outdoor activities and also like hiking and spending time at the Outer Banks where they have a beach house. In fact, he said his dream job would either be as PGA commissioner or something involved in the outdoors. McBride said he would also like to get back into camping, but commented that he did not think his wife was too crazy about the idea. [email protected]