LATHAM, N.Y. — The New York State Credit Union League has inducted four credit union leaders who have had a significant impact on credit unions at the local, state or national level, and have dedicated their lives to the philosophy and success of the credit union movement into its Hall of Fame.
Greg Card assumed control of Syracuse Federal Credit Union in 1981, managing the credit union from his home while working as a Syracuse police officer. When he retired in 1989, he concentrated all his time on the credit union, growing membership from 500 police officers to more than 26,000 members. Today, the credit union has $101 million in assets and is expanding. While no longer with the credit union, Card is involved in the building of the CU's newest branch. Card also established the SHARENET! Network of surcharge-free, credit union-owned ATMs during the 1990s. In 1997, Card joined the NYSCUL board and served until this year. In addition to overseeing the successful growth of Syracuse FCU, Card promoted credit union-friendly legislation through his lobbying effort and involvement with CULAC/CUPAC. He was also a New York Credit Union Foundation trustee.
Lorraine Jordan came to Erie County Employees Credit Union in 1982 as a part-time employee. She remained there for 25 years, rising through the ranks to become CEO while substantially increasing the credit unions assets from $2 million to $16 million along the way. Jordan became a league director representing the Buffalo chapter in 1998, served on numerous committees and was a New York Credit Union Foundation trustee. In addition, she advocated on behalf of the New York state credit union movement and represented credit unions in Washington and Albany on countless legislative issues.
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Bill Myers founded Alternatives Federal Credit Union in 1979. Today, Alternatives is a community development credit union with $50 million in assets, more than 8,500 members and is on the cutting edge of serving underserved markets. He is a pioneer in the New York state credit union movement, introducing the concept of the Credit Path Model as a way of understanding members' financial situations and incorporating that insight into the organization's business planning. Under Myers' leadership as CEO, Alternatives hosted and managed a community development banking listserv, one of the first of its kind. The credit union also developed the first Livable Wage Study for Tompkins County in 1994 and updates the report every two years.
Rounding out this year's inductees is Beverly Towers. Towers began her career at Hudson River Community Credit Union in 1966 and held numerous positions, ultimately rising to chief executive officer, a position in which she served for 23 years. Under her leadership, the credit union's assets increased from $8.2 million to $92 million and membership expanded from nearly 6,000 to 21,500. She frequently advocated on behalf of New York state's credit unions at the state and federal levels and was honored as a New York State Senate Woman of Distinction by Sen. Hugh Farley (R-Adirondack) in June 2006.
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