ROCHESTER, N.Y.-Not many people could be busier than NAFCU ViceChairman Mike Vadala, president and CEO of The Summit FederalCredit Union, or happier. Vadala called from a cell phone on a golfcourse for this interview, but not because he was cruising aroundin a cart all day following a ball around. The Summit was a sponsorof an LPGA tournament in Rochester and held a financial literacyevent on location one day. Though he admits to loving everythingabout golf, he gets just as keyed up when talking credit unions. "Idon't know anyone who's happier than me. I haven't found thatperson yet," Vadala said. But why make a career out of creditunions? "Passion. It's just a passion for me. I love it," he said.When Vadala was contacted for a job interview with the New YorkState Credit Union League, he did not even know what a credit unionwas. He called his father to see if he knew what a credit unionwas. To his good fortune, Vadala discovered that his father hadhelped start up State Employees Federal Credit Union in Syracuse.After auditing credit unions with the league for three years rightout of college, Vadala thought there had to be more to life thancredit unions. He scored a job with a large CPA firm, taking someof his credit union clients with him, and teaching a couple ofclasses for supervisory committees. He worked there two and a halfyears when he learned that the chief financial officer position wasavailable at The Summit. Vadala was offered the job "and I, at thatpoint, decided there wasn't anything better than credit unions."Not long ago, a bank in town approached Vadala to serve as itspresident. "It took about five seconds to say to him, `you knowwhat, I'll be real honest with you, I could never do it,' " heexplained. "It's not about the money-it would have been a lot moremoney I'm sure-I didn't even ask about money. It's aboutphilosophy. I just love what I do." So why get involved in NAFCU?Vadala had only been CEO at The Summit for a year when the field ofmembership lawsuit came up. "I was really excited about the futureof the credit union and then, all the sudden, this ruling comesdown and the whole thing is at risk, everything that I had prettymuch worked my whole life toward," he said. "I figured I wasn'tgoing to stand on the sidelines and hope somebody else got it done.I got heavily involved and testified before the House and SenateBanking Committees and I ran for the NAFCU Board and got involved.It's been a great ride. It's been an unbelievable trip both at thecredit union and beyond that, sticking up for what credit unionsare." Credit union CEOs really must serve as ambassadors for thecommunity. "I think that's a pretty important job for credit unionCEOs to take on," Vadala said. It is important how credit unionCEOs represent themselves, the credit unions adhere to the fieldsof membership, follow a philosophy centered on the membership andtell the credit union story all the time. "That's the way I try tobe and I'm really proud about credit unions," Vadala said. "I lovewhat it is, I love everything we do." Credit unions also have tomake sure they are doing what credit unions are expected to do andensure they are not looking too much like banks. "It's been a lotof fun, from the NAFCU perspective, representing the wholemovement," he said. Representing credit unions in variousassociations on all levels is crucial, Vadala explained. "I reallybelieve that there's a responsibility. When you look at the size ofthe banking industry and the size of the credit union movement, wecan't afford to have people sitting on their hands and not beingactive in supporting what we do and fighting for it. The banks wantnothing more than for there to be no credit unions. Taxation theyknow would pretty much end the movement and that's my feeling." Itis important to have a nonprofit alternative, and "I think a lot ofpeople in Congress recognize that," Vadala said. "I don't thinkit's an uphill fight but I do think it's a fight that we needeverybody enlisted in and I know we don't have everybody enlisted.I'm not going to be one of the ones that people can say' well, gee,what are you doing?' I'm going to be out there doing it. I thinkit's critical. If you really believe in this stuff, go out andfight for it." Vadala emphasized that his involvement in NAFCU hashelped him forge relationships with congressmen and regulators.Though it may sound "corny," he said, it has "made me a betterAmerican." "If I can work really hard and preserve credit union-ismfor everybody, what else can I do in my life that's going to havethat big of an impact?" Vadala said. Why The Summit? With the longlist of responsibilities he has set out for himself as a creditunion CEO, Vadala still makes plenty of time to enjoy his wife andfour children, ages 6, 7, 13, and 15. He coaches his kids'basketball and other sports teams. He volunteers with his oldestdaughter, who was born with a serious birth defect and given only a10% chance of living, at the March of Dimes. Vadala also volunteerson the United Way executive committee and chairs its new auditcommittee. The Vadala family loves the Rochester area, so TheSummit is where Vadala wants to be "as long as the board will haveme." [email protected]