Texas Credit Union Foundation Awards $5,000 Grant to Mexican Credit Union

FARMERS BRANCH, Texas - A recent decision by the Texas Credit Union Foundation (TCUF) Board of Directors means that Mexico's largest credit union, Caja Popular Mexicana (CPM), will be able to send someone from its organization to the Southwest CUNA Management School (SCMS). The Foundation board has approved a grant of $5,000, which the CPM can use for professional development, such as SCMS and development educators training. The CPM, which several years ago signed a partnership with Texas Credit Union League and the California League, has already indicated that it will send a management-level person to attend SCMS. "The support of TCUF for CPM to send an executive to SCMS is a wonderful example of how we can directly influence the quality of support for other credit union initiatives," said Bob Peterson, who serves on the Foundation board and the board of One Source Federal Credit Union in El Paso. "The leadership at CPM values the SCMS experience very highly, and the support of CPM by the TCUF and the League is deeply appreciated." SCMS provides professional education and credit union management development, and offers instructional materials on a variety of key topics including strategic planning, asset liability management, technology planning, leadership skills and marketing trends and research. The school offers a course of practical study over a three-year period in which students complete a strategic plan specifically for the student's credit union. A previous grant from TCUF allowed Rene Vasquez Perez of the CPM to attend SCMS, and according to reports from CPM, the training was invaluable. For that reason, the CPM wants someone else within its organization to take advantage of the educational opportunity. "We are very excited at the prospect of welcoming an additional international student from our partners at CPM to SCMS," says Steve Gibbs, SCMS director. "We take pride in the fact that we are able to provide a quality and challenging education for all of our students with the bonus of experiencing the credit union difference from the perspective of other countries." Peterson, who also serves on the Texas/International Relationship Committee added, "This initiative not only cements those important international relationships, but it also creates a healthy environment for everyone on both sides of our border to learn from each other. This will continue to have a tremendous impact on the furtherance of credit union values for years to come."