MANCHESTER, N.H. – Thirteen community development staffers and board members are on their way to running more efficient credit unions and becoming better managers thanks to intensive development classes sponsored by the National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions. They are the first graduates of the NFCDCU's CDCU Institute, a training center created through funding from the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund, a program of the U.S. Department of Treasury. Among the graduating class were representatives of Faith Community United Credit Union in Cleveland, Quitman Tri-County Federal Credit Union in Marks, Miss., NFCDCU Board Chairwoman Rita L. Haynes and Vice-Chair Robert Jackson. Lisa Carter of Appalachian Development Federal Credit Union in Nelsonville, Ohio spoke about the strong network that has developed among Institute participants. "I learned so much, not just from the staff and experts, but also from my fellow classmates that I got to know so well over the past three years," Carter said. "We formed a special bond and after we left, we told the NFCDCU that we want to get together in the years to come to learn more and to continue to share ideas." Pete Crear, CUNA's executive vice president and COO attended the graduation ceremony and remarked on the success of the program. "It is seldom that you find me speechless and I am speechless tonight," Crear said. "Being a part of this gathering of people that I have known and worked with for years – the level of commitment to education that has been shown by these graduates is a sign that our movement is still in good hands." The ceremony was also attended by Layne Bumgardner, NCUA Region 1 Director, and Anthony LaCreta, development director of the Office of Small Credit Union Development. The CDCU Institute program offers a curriculum reflecting the dual roles of participants as credit union and community leaders. Courses included "strategic planning: product development and pricing," financial statement analysis," "risk management," and "how to become a Small Business Administration lender." Courses were taught by Southern New Hampshire University faculty, staff of NFCDCU, and trainers provided by CUNA. The October session closed the third successful year for the CDCU Institute. In all 32 credit union staff and 18 board officials attended the Institute in 2001, including 21 first-year students. The Institute will continue with a new incoming class in April 2002. Applications for first-, second-, and third-year enrollment, along with general information about the program, are available from NFCDCU's Institute Director, Pamela Owens, at (212) 809-1850, ext. 215. – [email protected]