Two professional credit union organizations dedicated to progressing Hispanic inclusion across the industry — and the U.S. — are building regional networks to bolster similar efforts at a local level.
The initiative utilizes the resources of both Inclusiv and NLCUP by partnering with state and regional leagues and establishing collaborative spaces for credit union industry professionals to workshop solutions for national and regional issues with peers, as well as connect with other national groups for additional support.
Pablo DeFilippi, executive vice president of the Inclusiv Network, explained how the high concentration of
"In California, we have the second-largest concentration of Juntos Avanzamos-designated credit unions, which is the result of demographics in the state, and because of that concentration there was an emerging conversation surrounding how can we make sure that we're providing a platform for local credit unions to come together and learn how to best respond to an issue or something that is more local than national," DeFilippi said.
DeFilippi stressed that the overall mission of the campaign is inclusion and helping financial institutions reach the underrepresented communities in their fields of membership, while dismissing misconceptions about solely political motivations.
"This shouldn't be controversial, and it shouldn't be about whether or not to allow immigrants into the country. … It's to recognize the fact that we have people who are undocumented in the country already and that it's safer for us, and better for communities, to have those people be part of the financial mainstream," DeFilippi said.
Credit unions have prioritized diversity, equity and inclusion as vital components of their growth strategies in recent years. Examples include the development of a Spanish-speaking chatbot at
When conversations around launching the chapter began in July 2022, scalability was a key factor in the potential success of the project, said Daniel West, vice president of social impact for the California and Nevada credit union leagues.
"We want to be able to establish a community of practitioners, provide a framework for chapters across the nation and identify and elevate best practices that have worked for credit unions outside the recommended practices outlined in the designation requirements to become a Juntos Avanzamos credit union," West said. "For the leagues, we're focusing on identifying and establishing a baseline for impact metrics [to measure] how our credit unions are moving the needle for this specific population."
The chapter plans to hold elections for its first class of leadership sometime in the next few months, with many credit union advocates in the state already in the running for the top spot.
Diana Cervantes, vice president of community and business development for Premier America Credit Union, a Juntos Avanzamos-designated institution in Chatsworth, California, said the lack of adequate representation across the credit union industry and her heritage as a Mexican-American Latina inspired her to get involved with the credit union's philanthropic foundation and enact change.
Last year, she connected the $3.8 billion-asset Premier America, CBC Federal Credit Union in Oxnard, California and Ventura County Credit Union in Ventura, California, with the Mexican Consulate in Oxnard and helped
"Sharing these types of activities would create an immediate impact in our communities and soften the fears that come with serving non-English-speaking communities," Cervantes said. "It's okay to talk in Spanish and feel 'orgullo' [pride] in our language,"
The partnership will continue to support the chapter after its launch by offering members of the leagues' resources for various activities and initiatives.
"For some of us Latinx individuals, this might be the only safe space we have — within the credit union movement." Barbara Mojica, executive director for NLCUP, said in a press release. "I cannot wait to see how many individuals flourish because of what NLCUP and Juntos Avanzamos are creating."
