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West Virginia Central CU board member becomes latest Certified CU Development Educator — 9/28/16

Vijay Shah accepts the CUDE certificate from his NCUF mentors in Madison, WI.

Forty-five credit union representatives, including one from West Virginia became Credit Union Development Educators (CUDEs) after being guided by dedicated program facilitators and mentors through the intensive Credit Union Development Education (DE) Training from the National Credit Union Foundation (the Foundation). The DE training was held September 14-21, 2016 at the Lowell Center in Madison, Wis.

Vijay Shah, a volunteer director at West Virginia Central Credit Union in Parkersburg became the latest representative from the state to earn the designation. Earlier this year, Bayer Heritage FCU’s Rachael Graham and Long Reach FCU’s Crystal Rocchio obtained their CUDE designation in Madison.

Team Projects

DE Training provides critical lessons in cooperative principles, credit union philosophy and international development issues while incorporating challenges credit unions face today. During the recent week-long program, participants were involved in group exercises, field trips, discussions with speakers from around the credit union system, and are required to complete team projects proposing solutions for credit unions to help alleviate or eliminate challenging situations in any given area. For this class’ final case studies, participants worked through and presented solutions to critical issues that included student loan debt, board development and recruiting including the debate over compensation, building microfinance programs in developing countries, credit union solutions to predatory lending, the increasing issue of homelessness in America, and rejuvenating a stagnant credit union.

“We congratulate Vijay on earning his CUDE designation,” stated League President Ken Watts. “Becoming a CUDE requires a commitment of time, and a passion for credit unions, and he has certainly demonstrated both,” he added.

The mission of the Credit Union Development Education (DE) program is to promote credit unions’ social responsibility and domestic and international development through interactive adult education and professional networking. By linking credit unions’ past and present, the DE program brings renewed relevance to credit unions’ seven cooperative principles and the philosophy of “People Helping People.”

For those interested in 2017 DE Trainings, visit ncuf.coop to learn more, or you can email cude@ncuf.coop to be put on a notification list for when registration opens up.

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