DALLAS-NAFCU Chair Diane Furnas' first year in that post wassmooth sailing, thanks to the help of the breadth of experience ofthe rest of the board. Even though some the issues have been toughover the last year, the president and CEO of Southwest AirlinesFederal Credit Union knows NAFCU has come out of it strong. Of herfirst term as chair, Furnas remarked, "It went very well I think. Ithink I have to give a lot of credit to the people I worked withpreviously on the board. They are just one of the best boards thatwe've ever had, so that certainly made my transition easier."Furnas was recently re-elected to serve as chair and will beginserving that term at the close of NAFCU's Annual Conference. One ofNAFCU's main goals has been strengthening the federal charter,which Furnas said has enjoyed tremendous updating. "I think thatNAFCU has made a lot of in-roads on that in the legislative andregulatory (arenas). I have to give NAFCU a tremendous amount ofcredit for that," Furnas said, "but I also say that Dennis Dollarhas changed the environment, you might say, to make some of thesesuggestions and things we're trying to implement more possible."She added that the current NCUA Board "is really working in thebest interest of the credit union industry." One potential problemFurnas said she sees for the upcoming year could be the bankers'drive to tax credit unions. "Certainly, within the year, thebiggest problem is going to be if the bankers are able to make anyinroads in some of the major states-such as Texas, California.Utah,they were trying so hard and didn't do as well-if they make a fewinroads there by being able to either divide us or get somelegislation there, then I do think it's going to affect us on thefederal level," she commented. Furnas explained that she did notsee much progress prior to the elections, but the bankers areworking so hard, they could make progress in the next year or two.To combat this credit unions need to be active participants andjust keep on doing what credit unions do, according to Furnas. Shehas served on the Texas Credit Union League Board and CUNA's Board,in addition to NAFCU's. "I think it really gives you a broadperspective of really what affects you at the credit union, becauseif you are not involved, you don't know all the laws that toucheach credit union," she said. "It's just broader perspective that,I think, makes you a better manager if you're involved in things.And change stuff." Furnas added that Southwest Airlines FederalCredit Union does a number of things that help maintain that creditunion distinction that the banking groups always argue isdisappearing. She said the credit union's top priority is to servetheir members. "We just are trying to make a loan. We're not thereto price it out, be sure the profit is completely there. We aretrying to serve the person who has walked in the door," sheexplained. "So that member service and that need are critical tous." She added that many of their members do not have the highestcredit scores and that they try to educate members on how to getout of those situations. In addition, over the years, Furnas saidthat Southwest Airlines FCU has served as a mentor to a number ofcredit unions or donated equipment or helped with marketing-thingsyou would not see at banks. She advocates for more experienced CEOsto help struggling credit unions through difficult times. "I thinkit's always in our best interest to try to salvage as many creditunions as we can.Sometimes you're successful with it, sometimes itjust doesn't happen. It needs to be done no matter what," Furnasstated. That type of cooperation is one of the best things aboutworking in the credit union movement, she said. "I like it mostlybecause I think we get to work with some really great people thisway. It's not as commercial and I've thoroughly enjoyed it." Thatis what has kept Furnas in credit unions for more than 30 years. Infact, a large number of people working in the credit unioncommunity tend to stay - of NAFCU's executive committee, the personwith the least experience in credit unions has 17 years under hisbelt. Having an experienced executive committee gives theorganization historical perspective. "If you've been in a creditunion for a long time, you see ups and downs, legislatively andregulatorily, how those things can affect you, and you get moreexperience in helping to fight those kind of things that aredetrimental to the industry," Furnas said. "And I think it's justmaturity, I think, that makes it possible for you to be the mosteffective person you can on some of the boards like that,especially on NAFCU at the federal level." The breadth ofperspective on NAFCU's board does not stop with seasoned creditunion CEOs, but also includes some volunteers as well. "I thinkthat's an important part of it to because they bring a differentperspective," she said, like the volunteerism angle and asvolunteers they seem to really focus on the purpose of creditunions But it is important to get a breath of fresh air Furnasrecognizes. Just before being elected to another term as chair, shewas elected to her third and final term on the NAFCU Board. Furnasdescribed the feeling as "good and bad." She said she will miss allthe work when her final three years are up, but, at the same time,"There's a whole generation coming up that I personally believe aregoing to also bring an awful lot to the forefront in ideas, inenergy, and so forth, and that's why I think term limits have someeffectiveness in certain areas. It allows some new people to comeon with new blood and new ideas." Demonstrating this belief, Furnasshook up some of NAFCU's committee structure to make room for thenew while there is still some of that historical knowledgeremaining. Not only did she spearhead an effort to get some`youngins' on the committees but they also opened membership upbelow the CEO level. "I think it's been extremely effective becauseit's an avenue for those people to have an opportunity toparticipate and begin to understand what NAFCU can do for them,"she said. Other items she initiated for NAFCU during her tenure wasthe daily e-mail sent out to the membership and advocating thegrowth of NAFCU/PAC, the trade association's political [email protected]