WASHINGTON — Credit Union Times held its eighth-annualTrailblazers awards reception on Tuesday night at the CUNAGovernmental Affairs Conference.

“Credit Union Times is proud to recognize the realTrailblazers of the industry each year at our awards reception.Each of our winners not only pushes his or her own credit unionforward, but also moves the credit union community toward abrighter future,” CU Times Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Sarah SnellCooke said.

Make sure to scroll through the slide show of photos here.

And then enjoy videos of the 2013 winners:

• ChadGraves, IT Executive of the Year
• KristenMashburn, Marketer of the Year
• HelenGodfrey-Smith, Service to the Underserved
• CarrollBeach, Volunteer of the Year
• CommodorePerry FCU, Outstanding Political Action
• JoeBrancucci, CEO of the Year
• ScottWaite, CFO of the Year

Catching up with old friends and industry goings-on was thebusiness at hand before the awards ceremony got under way.

Chad Graves, left, of Ent FCU and Joe Brancucci of GTEFinancial, exchange a few words before each received hisTrailblazer award.

Dona Svehla of the $1.8 billion Grow Financial CreditUnion could not make it from Tampa to receive her award as Lending Officer of the Year. Svehla's leadership was cited inhelping her Florida credit union sharply grow loan growth andincrease collections while reducing delinquencies.

Marketer of the Year Kristen Mashburn of Alabama's $601 millionListerhill Credit Union credits family, her employer and hermembers for her award. She was recognized for the passion she putstoward her philosophy of credit union marketing: It's about solvingproblems for members.

From left, Dave Janoff of Credit Union Times, CarolineWillard of event sponsor CO-OP Financial Services, Mashburn, JasonDias of Eloquent Online and Sarah Snell Cooke of Credit UnionTimes.

Chad Graves of the $3.7 billion Ent Federal Credit Union inColorado Springs, Colo., takes a holistic approach to his job assenior vice president of information technology. The IT Executive of the Year considers networking, among people asmuch as systems, to be the key to his organization's success andthat of the industry as a whole. Standing behind him is Ted Bilke,president of Symitar.

Scott Waite, is the CFO of the Year for the second time, this time around for hisleadership not only in helping California's $3.9 billion PatelcoCredit Union record its most profitable year ever, but for his workin national organizations and directly with regulators in helpingto make compliance more manageable for everyone.

Thomas Renz discusses his credit union's experience in taking onthe NCUA and what the credit union said was a harassing, vindictiveexaminer. The president/chief development officer of the $32million Commodore Perry FCU in Ohio won the 2013 Political Action Trailblazer Award in recognition of hisefforts and that of his colleagues.

From left are Cooke, the credit union's vice president offinance, Timothy Collins, CEO Mike Barr and Renz.

Helen Godfrey Smith describes the help her credit union, the $90million Shreveport FCU in Louisiana, provides by reaching out toformer prison inmates to help them get back on their feet. Such service to the community has garnered Shreveport FCU the2013 Trailblazer Award for Outstanding Service to the Underserved.

Asking management the tough questions was why the $1.3 billionElevations Credit Union in Boulder, Colo., asked Carroll Beach tojoin its board. The veteran industry executive has chaired thepanel since 2008 and this year is the Trailblazer Volunteer of the Year.

Joe Brancucci took a lot of heat for dropping “Credit Union”from the name when the $1.5 billion Tampa, Fla., institution wasre-branded as GTE Financial. Brancucci said the decision waswell-considered, brash, necessary and successful in helping to pullthe credit union back from the brink of being conserved. And he'sthe 2013 Trailblazer CEO of the Year.

Shown here, from left, are Janoff, Willard, Brancucci andCooke.

CUNA President/CEO Bill Cheney was among the hobnobbershelping to make the annual Trailblazer Awards ceremony a successagain.