DENVER — The campaign by some volunteers to gain a stronger voice in the management of trade associations, which cropped up three years ago within the National Association of Federal Credit Unions, looks to resurface again in October at the annual meeting here of the National Association of Credit Union Chairmen.
The issue, percolating for years among director groups and which forced some changes in election procedures in state leagues, stands to come up again at NACUC's Chairmen's Roundtable conference Oct. 22-25 at the Marriott City Center Hotel in connection with comments made by one of the group's most respected members, Marlene Schwartz, chairman of State Department FCU of Alexandria, Va.
Schwartz, who was joined by other Maryland and D.C. CU chairmen at NAFCU's 2005 conference in Las Vegas critical of voting rules which effectively blocked volunteers from winning seats on all-CEO boards, said this week the large trade groups, NAFCU and CUNA, in particular, continue to give “only lip service” to opening up boards to volunteers.
In fact, there is less progress on the issue now, she said, considering there was–until his term ended–only one CU chairman, David Gilbert of Maryland, on the NAFCU Board serving as secretary “and now there aren't any” elected as volunteers. A NAFCU spokesman said there is indeed one volunteer, Charles Thomas, a former CEO who has since retired and is in the middle of a three-year-term.
NAFCU Senior Vice President of Communications Jay Morris said that there are no rules against volunteers being elected to the NAFCU Board. “NAFCU has long encouraged volunteers to run for the board through its nominating process,” he said, noting that a volunteer was on this year's ballot.
Peter Bruno, the chairman of NACUC and of Financial Resources FCU, Bridgewater, N.J. without commenting directly on Schwartz' view said chairmen “are encouraged to seek leadership opportunities in national CU trade organizations.” Apart from the leadership issue, the Roundtable Forum agenda, he said, will focus on “subprime mortgage failures, challenging revenue opportunities and CEO compensation.”
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