Officials from UW Credit Union and Inclusiv hold the Juntos Avanzamos flag. Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023\.
Credit/UW Credit Union
As Hispanic Heritage Month approaches (Sept. 15-Oct. 15), the Madison, Wis.-based UW Credit Union ($5 billion in assets, 337,320 members) has been awarded the "Juntos Avanzamos" designation for the credit union's work to empower the Hispanic/Latinx community and members.
With this recognition, UW Credit Union became the largest Juntos Avanzamos-designated credit union in Wisconsin.
Juntos Avanzamos, which means "Together We Advance", is a designation for credit unions committed to serving and empowering Hispanic and immigrant consumers — helping them navigate the U.S. financial system and providing safe, affordable and relevant financial services. There are currently 134 credit unions designated as Juntos Avanzamos.
During Thursday's ceremony with officials from UW Credit Union and Inclusiv, a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) intermediary, the credit union's president/CEO Paul Kundert was presented with the official Juntos Avanzamos flag, which will be raised alongside the Hispanic Heritage Month flag next week.
In addition to sharing more about UW Credit Union's ongoing efforts to remove financial barriers for Spanish-speaking members, Kundert praised credit union employees and community officials for their partnership and hard work.
"This designation is a culmination of many years of focused work creating inclusive products and services delivered by a welcoming team," Kundert said. "We believe in putting people before profit, and our success is built on that idea. Every day, I'm impressed by the caring community of employees here who make it their mission to serve all the people of our community. From hand-raisers like our Raices Latinx Employee Resource Group to our bilingual financial specialists and mortgage loan officers, everyone is committed to ensuring members find the financial solutions to help them succeed."
According to a statement from UW Credit Union, the application process for the designation highlighted the credit union's efforts and abilities put in place to serve the needs of the Hispanic/Latinx market such as a "robust roster of bilingual staff." UW Credit Union officials said 26 of the credit union's 32 branches have Hispanic, bilingual frontline staff.
During the ceremony, Inclusiv EVP Pablo DeFilippi said, "On behalf of Inclusiv and the Juntos Avanzamos network, we congratulate UW Credit Union for its commitment to financial inclusion and specifically for expanding access to affordable and responsible financial products and services to Latinos. Thank you for providing education, resources and asset-building opportunities to the Hispanic/Latinx community. UW Credit Union now joins a growing number of credit unions across the country that are helping make the American dream a reality for all."
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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.
