CUNA Fills New Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Position
Former CUNA Senior Policy Analyst Samira Salem is tasked with leading the trade association’s DEI efforts.
CUNA has appointed Samira Salem, Ph.D to the newly-created position of vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), the trade association announced Monday.
In her new role, Salem is responsible for leading CUNA’s progress toward reaching its internal DEI goals, as well as CUNA’s programs and initiatives designed to fulfill its “Roadmap to Inclusion,” CUNA said. She will also be charged with fulfilling CUNA’s DEI strategy roadmap, architecting CUNA’s DEI Learning & Training efforts, leading CUNA’s internal DEI Advisory Group and Employee Engagement Group relations, and driving DEI metrics and data-driven insights, according to the trade association.
“We have been on a journey to advance DEI at CUNA and throughout the credit union industry, and Samira has played a significant role in helping us articulate to policymakers the work that credit unions do to serve diverse communities,” CUNA President/CEO Jim Nussle said in a prepared statement. “There is not a more passionate and suitable candidate to lead CUNA and credit unions as we promote inclusiveness and equity through the delivery of essential financial services to our members.”
Salem, who has nearly 20 years of experience in international economic development, community development, policy research and social finance, previously worked for Forward Community Investments, a Madison, Wis.-based community development financial institution that supports initiatives throughout Wisconsin that address racial, social and economic inequities. She joined CUNA in 2018 and most recently served as the senior policy analyst on CUNA’s Research and Policy Analysis Team, focusing on analytics to support the organization’s advocacy efforts. She also leads CUNA’s DEI eSchool.
“DEI is in the credit union DNA,” Salem said in a prepared statement. “Advancing DEI makes our organizations and our movement stronger. It’s vital if we want to grow and continue to be relevant to our members and our communities in a changing marketplace. I am thrilled to lead this critical work within CUNA and support DEI across the industry.”