The African-American Credit Union Coalition has named Hubert Hoosman, president/CEO of Vantage Credit Union, as this year's Pete Crear Lifetime Achievement award recipient.

Hoosman was selected because of his commitment to the credit union philosophy and dedication to moving the credit union world forward at the local, regional, national and international levels, the AACUC said.

A native of East St. Louis, Ill., Hoosman graduated from high school with a full basketball scholarship from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

He began his credit union career over 31 years ago as a teller with Educational Employees Credit Union, now Vantage CU, in Bridgeton, Mo., and moved through the ranks as loan department manager, branch manager, vice president of operations and executive vice president before becoming president/CEO.

When Hoosman started his career at the credit union in 1982, the asset size of the credit union was $34 million. During his tenure, Vantage CU's assets have now approached the $700 million mark.

A champion for causes, one of the most notable was when Hoosman took the lead nationally with credit unions helping to recognize Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by raising approximately $1.4 million for a national monument which now stands on the National Mall in Washington.

Hoosman was recently honored with the Herb Wegner Individual Achievement Award by the National Credit Union Foundation.

The award will be presented to Hoosman at a dinner on Aug. 2 during the AACUC's 15th annual conference in Detroit.