ARLINGTON, Va. – Mary Martha Fortney may be four months shy of her one-year anniversary as president/CEO of NASCUS, but expecting the next four months to mirror the last eight she can already conclude that "it's been everything I expected and more." Fortney was named the first female president of NASCUS on January 15 after the association's board accepted the search committee's recommendation of her to the position. Immediately prior to her appointment, Fortney – a 10-and-a-half year veteran of NASCUS at the time – served as acting president/CEO since Aug. 1, 2003 following the dismissal of former president/CEO Doug Duerr. Just before that she was vice president of regulatory affairs. "Even though I'd been with NASCUS for more than 10 years at the time of my appointment, being given leadership of the association was a turning point for me. It was very rewarding to have the NASCUS Board place its full faith and confidence in me. Even being chosen acting president/CEO was a compliment, but to have their confidence placed in me completely by naming me president/CEO which I was honored to accept was a turning point. I never took for granted I would be selected because there were a lot of candidates and the seven-person search committee performed its due diligence." Looking back over the past eight months, Fortney says it's difficult for her to pinpoint what she considers to be some of the more notable successes under her leadership of NASCUS. One of the first things that comes to mind is the association's increased prominence and visibility. "Certainly we're pleased that NASCUS has become more involved with the U.S. Congress on matters relating to the state-chartered credit union system are considered," she notes. [email protected]