MADISON, Wis. – Credit union industry veteran Pete Crear, formerly EVP and COO of CUNA and currently executive vice president for external relations at CUNA, has been named as the recipient of this year's Herb Wegner Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Credit Union Foundation. In addition to his work on the national level, Crear is responsible for having organized over 20 credit unions, mainly in the metropolitan Detroit area. Among these CUs are several unique ones such as the Feminist Federal Credit Union and the first Office of Economic Opportunity credit union, Detroit Consumers Federal Credit Union. During a time of rioting and civil unrest in Detroit, Crear was instrumental in bringing about economic change to the citizens of the area, the Foundation said. "What I discovered throughout this time was that credit unions work," stated Crear. "When people care about the credit union, it succeeds. Credit unions are a solution to problems. I also learned the harsh lesson that when in the hands of either incompetent or uncaring stewards, credit unions can and will fail." The award will be made at the Herb Wegner Awards Dinner during CUNA's Government Affairs Conference.