In addition to the upcoming NAFCU election for the three at-large board seats, the Region I seat is open this year. Mike Vadala, president/CEO of the Summit Federal Credit Union and current board chairman will be leaving the board after serving three, three-year terms. I am seeking nomination for this board seat to fill the large shoes left by Vadala. There are many critical issues facing our industry. Fighting to preserve our tax-exempt status is equivalent to preserving consumer choice in selecting where they choose to conduct their financial business. I believe there are two keys that will help us maintain our current tax status and allow us to grow and prosper as an industry. Political advocacy is the first key. We must continue to educate our elected officials on the credit union difference and how we serve our members and our communities. Political advocacy and involvement is a critical component of our mission at First Source FCU. We've worked diligently to build and foster relationships with our elected officials at the local, state and national level. A recent example highlights the importance of this task. I was invited to a luncheon sponsored by our New York state senator who is supporting the efforts of a local group working to revitalize inner-city neighborhoods and create jobs. When we were asked to consider making a contribution to this organization, the bankers sitting around the table clearly made it known that their budgets were limited and since they serve so many different markets they would not be able to support the group. I was able to stand up and say "as a credit union we are different in that we only serve our local marketplace which makes the revitalization of our neighborhoods, job creation and economic development very important to us." We pledged to make a contribution and to participate in a revolving loan pool advocated by the bankers. Our senator was clearly pleased to hear of our commitment. I agree with Navy Federal CEO Cutler Dawson as quoted in the Feb. 2 issue where he speaks about the importance of our trade organizations speaking with one voice. As an industry, it is important that we send a clear and consistent message to Congress about the credit union difference.at every opportunity! Clearly, we all have the obligation to work to promote and protect the credit union movement. Our trades play a crucial role in this endeavor. As a member of NAFCU's board, I will be committed to continuing this vital work. The second key to our continued success is the spirit of cooperation that is alive within the credit union industry. When I joined the credit union movement 13 years ago, I found it refreshing to see credit union leaders working together and openly sharing best practices. The cooperative spirit in our industry makes us unique as we work together through CUSOs, shared ATM networks or shared branching – we all have the same goal in mind of serving our members exceptionally well. Maintaining our cooperative spirit will serve us well as we band together to fight off the inaccurate, biased and hypocritical claims of the bank trade associations. Working together we can not only fight off the banker's erroneous claims but we will thrive as an industry committed to serving our membership. Michael J. Parsons President/CEO First Source Federal Credit Union New Hartford, New York