Posted by Maria Kinney
Being involved with the CUES award programs means that I get to hear about many success stories in the credit union movement. Plus, I get to see CUES' role in the development of outstanding credit union leaders.
For example, CUES member Steve Schipull started his career in the financial services industry working for a bank. Now CFO of Generations Federal Credit Union in San Antonio, Steve didn't expect to end up in the credit union movement, where he has been for 10 years. But he notes that "the last ten years have truly impacted my overall leadership development and achievements way beyond expectations had I remained with the bank." Steve even went on to attend CUES' CEO Institute and earn the CCE (Certified Chief Executive) designation. And then, to top this off, Steve applied for the 2009 CUES Future Leader award and was ecstatic to find out that he was the winner! Steve says, "To be honest, I didn't expect to win with so many deserving leaders in our industry. Our industry faces many challenges and I am fortunate to be associated with so many dedicated professionals who live our story every day by serving our members. I am truly honored to be this year's CUES Future Leader award recipient."
Steve and other dedicated individuals were honored this year for their contributions to and achievements in the credit union industry. Please congratulate the following winners (and see full coverage of the award presentations here and here):
- CUES Future Leader
honors a CUES member non-CEO who works to better their credit union, the movement and themselves. This year's winner is ... Steven L. Schipull, CCE, Generations FCU
- Outstanding Executive
honors a CUES member credit union CEO who shows exceptional leadership qualities. This year's winner is ... William Rissel - Fort Knox FCU
- Hall of Fame
is a lifetime achievement award honoring an individual's contributions to the credit union movement. This year's inductees are ... Gordon Dames - 2008 CUES Outstanding Executive; formerly with Mountain America CU, now with Southwest Business Corporation, and Mark Hawkins of Altura CU.
- Outstanding Council Awards
are presented to the CUES Councils that plan outstanding professional development opportunities for CUES members on a local and regional level. This year's winners are ...
- 1-74 CUES members: Alabama (Outstanding Council)
Iowa (Award of Excellence)
Nevada (Award of Excellence) - 75-150 CUES members: Rocky Mountain (Outstanding Council)
Delaware Valley (Award of Excellence)
Utah (Award of Excellence) - 150+ CUES members: Michigan (Outstanding Council)
Florida (Award of Excellence)
Greater Southern (Award of Excellence)
Congratulations, 2009 CUES award winners! Keep up the excellent work! And calling all 2010 CUES award nominees ... I can't wait to hear your success stories!
Maria Kinney is member services assistant at CUES.
