Connex Credit Union, a $376.9 million credit union in North Haven, Conn. is generating chatter among local young adults through a special marketing internship position for college students: the vice president of unbanking. This year, Lauren Dufour, a senior and public relations major at Quinnipac University in Hamden, Conn. will take on the role that aims to court Gen Y with grass-roots marketing efforts.

Connex CU and the Bethany, Conn.-based marketing communications firm Mason Inc. jointly launched the vice president of unbanking internship program in the fall of 2010 to help support young membership growth, said Derek Beere, new media manager for Mason Inc. and the manager of Connex CU's public relations and social media activities. Quinnipac University senior Erin King was the credit union's first vice president of unbanking. Last year, it was University of New Haven senior Chris Whalen.

"The overall goal was to find a real voice for the credit union that would further elevate its unbank brand to a younger audience, with an emphasis on college students but also to continue positioning Connex as a better choice than traditional banks and create awareness in the local marketplace," Beere said.