Coopera Unveils Expansion of Services, New Website

Coopera, a West Des Moines, Iowa-based multicultural analytics and consulting firm serving credit unions, revealed an expansion of its services Wednesday with the goal of promoting greater financial inclusion within the industry.

The 15-year-old firm has historically focused on teaching credit unions how to better serve Hispanic communities, many of which are underbanked or unbanked. Now, it will help clients attract and maintain relationships with multiple diverse communities found in the U.S., including Black/African American, White/Anglo, Asian/Pacific Islander, Native American and multi-race individuals.

Coopera’s new service offerings will also include diversity, equity and inclusion consulting to help credit unions develop and advance DEI strategies within their organizations, as well as consulting services for credit unions that need assistance with navigating the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) designation and grant application process.

Coinciding with the rollout of the new services was the unveiling of a redesigned website.

“As we reflect on the events of 2020 and the makeup of our country today, we know that credit unions are rightfully placing a renewed sense of purpose on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives,” Coopera CEO Victor Corro said in a news release. “Our team of multicultural and multilingual professionals is dedicated to helping our credit union movement build inclusive cultures to not only benefit employees, but also the members we serve. Helping credit unions navigate these important topics not only helps the credit union grow, but also helps minority and underserved populations get the help they need.”

Corro is also the chair of the DEI Collective, a collaborative credit union industry group formed last year to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.

In the news release, Rudy Pereira, president/CEO of the $3.2 billion, Chatsworth, Calif.-based Premier America Credit Union, stated, “A trusted and longtime credit union partner like Coopera is the perfect fit to help create a culture of deep inclusion both within our credit union and the communities we serve. Coopera’s knowledge, years of experience in the credit union movement, and proven success in reaching underserved communities enables us to leverage a holistic approach based on analytics and research to reach our DEI goals.”