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A small credit union about 30 miles northwest of Washington, D.C. has officially certified one of its managers to implement and lead diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts for the credit union. One big goal for the credit union: Prove the ROI of DEI.
On Tuesday, SkyPoint Federal Credit Union ($188 million in assets, 13,808 members), headquartered in Germantown, Md., announced its manager of talent acquisition and development, Santita Prather, completed the "Georgetown Certificate Program on Advancing DEI in the Workplace." With that certification, Prather will now lead the development, implementation and measurement of DEI efforts within SkyPoint.
According to a statement from SkyPoint, Prather has several important and hefty strategies ahead of her. Those include:
- Prepare a solid business case for diversity and inclusion, as well as identify measures to prove the return on investment of diversity and inclusion initiatives.
- Develop strategies and programs to attract and engage diverse talent, and achieve HR and business goals.
- Measure the progress and impact of diversity and inclusion programs and initiatives, using appropriate metrics and benchmarks.
- Communicate about diversity and inclusion solutions, initiatives, events and progress to diverse audiences and stakeholders.
"With our community charter and business lending expansion, recruiting a talented, diverse staff for our outreach efforts and business lending is our top priority," Prather said. "We understand the importance of leveraging a diverse workforce that is reflective of the communities we serve. Our Juntos Avanzamos and Community Development Financial Institution designations have proven that. Advancing DEI in the workplace is another investment that SkyPoint is making to demonstrate the importance of financial inclusivity for all its members. We are meeting people where they are in their communities."
According to the credit union, Prather joined SkyPoint in December 2019 after 22 collective years of experience in the human services and public health fields.
"We wanted to do more than just write a Statement of Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion," Jim Norris, CEO of SkyPoint, said. "We wanted to see lasting change, and this meant it had to be transformational by having our very own Santita Prather become certified with Georgetown's DEI program. We are proud of her work and dedication to leading our credit union in DEI."
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Michael Ogden
Editor-in-Chief at CU Times. To connect, email at [email protected]. As Editor-in-Chief of CU Times since 2016, Michael Ogden has led the editorial team in all aspects of content strategy and execution, including the creation of the publication’s exclusive and proprietary research database of the credit union industry’s economic landscape. Under Michael’s leadership, CU Times has successfully shifted to an all-digital editorial product with new focuses on the payments, fraud, lending and regulatory beats. Most recently, he introduced a data-focused editorial product for subscribers that breaks down credit union issues into hard data, allowing for a deeper and more factual narrative for readers. In 2024, he launched the "Shared Accounts With CU Times" podcast, which offers a fresh, inside-the-newsroom perspective through interviews with leaders from the credit union industry and the regulatory world. He dives into pressing credit union issues, while revealing the personalities working behind-the-scenes to push the credit union world forward. His background includes years as a radio and TV anchor/reporter and a public relations and digital/social media manager, where he covered the food and music industries, as well as cooperatives and credit unions. Over the years, he has launched numerous exclusive video and podcast series, including a successful series of interactive backstage interviews with musicians at music festivals, showcasing his social media and live streaming production skills.
