Our Community Commitment: Learn, Engage, Serve

Written by Tonita Webb, CUDE, CCE, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Executive Vice President/COO

There are many opportunities for professional and community development in the credit union world. Here at Aquila Standard, our leadership regularly participates in these opportunities, so that we remain engaged with and committed to the communities we serve.

I recently became certified as a Credit Union Development Educator by The National Credit Union Foundation, and it was an incredibly meaningful experience. Per the program’s website, the goal of this certification is to “provide critical lessons in cooperative principles, credit union philosophy, and international development issues while incorporating challenges credit unions face, today.”

Tonita Webb, Executive Vice President/COO

The program included group exercises, guest speakers, and team projects that leveraged core credit union principles and philosophies to create solutions for the challenges many credit unions face today. Since 1982, more than 1,800 credit union advocates from over 35 countries have graduated from this program!

It was a week full of learning. Learning what other credit unions are doing to help underserved communities, the challenges they face, and the opportunities that exist for the collective of credit unions to support these communities. While I was there, I connected with many professionals that praised the efforts of Aquila Standard to deliver on our mission of “prosperity” for the greater Seattle community. It was clear others were seeing the hard work Aquila Standard has been doing for its members. After all, our members are the “why” behind everything we do.

I believe I’ve become a more effective and empathetic advocate for credit unions as a result of this program, and am eager to use this experience to breathe new life into our vision of being Seattle’s Partner in Growth and Prosperity. I’m proud to be a part of the credit union movement, and even more proud to do this work with Aquila Standard. We’ll continue to participate in development opportunities, engage with our peers, and learn from each other so that we can deliver on our mission for each of you.