United Bay Community Credit Union had two Credit Union Development Educators (CUDE) graduate this ye

United Bay Community Credit Union had two Credit Union Development Educators (CUDE) graduate this year
 
Diane Abbonizio, President and CEO, completed the National Credit Union Foundation’s signature Credit Union Development Education (DE) program in June of 2023.  Leslie Webb, Vice President, People & Strategy completed DE with the October class of 2023.  Diane and Leslie are the first CUDE graduates in the history of Ubay.
 
DE helps established and emerging leaders within the credit union movement understand and leverage credit unions’ unique business model to serve member communities in new and better ways. This education also helps credit union employees to understand fundamental barriers that prevent the prosperity of people and communities across the globe. DE is a unique experiential program that provides lessons in credit union structure, purpose and the “why” that differentiates credit unions from other financial institutions. Participants engage in small and large group exercises and interactive speaker sessions focused on the credit union difference, development issues, and empathy.
 
Diane said, “Our desire is to fulfill the philosophy of ‘people helping people’, and when I became CEO, I needed to better articulate our focus. Now, all our strategies are geared around bringing resources to communities in Michigan where we can help the residents build strong financial roots. I knew this was important, but DE showed me just how important it was. Financial well-being for all is our responsibility. As cooperatives, we can improve the lives of our members and thereby support their communities. We must be willing to extend our hand to widen our circle.”  
 
Leslie agrees.  ““The DE program is a life changing event, personally and professionally. The deep dive into the credit union cooperative principles and humanity’s developmental issues should be understood by every person in this industry. Getting in touch with where we came from and why we are where we are today helps us to never stop working to do the right thing for our members and communities.”
 
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to our members and to the credit union movement, Diane and Leslie.