CU Times Washington Reporter
WASHINGTON — Joseph Perkowski, the retired CEO of U.S. Federal Credit Union in Minneapolis, former chairman of CUNA and former president of the World Council of Credit Unions, died on July 11 at the age of 72.
Whether he was guiding the growth of his own credit union or helping in the development of credit unions in Poland and South Africa, Perkowski approached the task with a calm demeanor and a strong work ethic. Even during tense discussions, he stood his ground but was never belligerent.
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"I never saw him angry, flustered or upset. He was always confident about what he knew and the position he took," recalled Bill Raker, U.S. Federal's current president/CEO, who succeeded Perkowski and was a board member while Perkowski was CEO. "I saw some very interesting and elevated discussion between Joe and the board, but he was always respectful of other people's positions. He always said 'let's approach this logically and look at it together.'"
Perkowski, who once described his philosophy as "leave everything a little better than you found it," practiced what he preached.
During his tenure at U.S. Federal from 1978-2007, its assets grew from $20 million to $260 million and the number of members increased from 14,000 to 68,000.
While the CUNA chairman from 1985-1987, he testified before House Ways and Means and Senate Banking Committees, the first person in that post to ever appear before a congressional panel. Before that, he chaired the Minnesota League of Credit Unions.
His tenure as president of the World Council of Credit Unions from 1992-1993 coincided with the early years of the post-apartheid period in South Africa and the beginning of Poland's post-communist era. During those periods of transformation in those countries, Perkowski worked with the leadership of the credit unions there to shore up their operations and adapt to the new conditions they faced.
He was especially interested in matters relating to Poland; he helped found and served as the first chairman of the Foundation for Polish Credit Unions.
Perkowski's numerous honors included the World Council's Distinguished Service Award.
"The credit union movement around the world benefited greatly from the enduring consequences of his leadership," said CUNA President/CEO Dan Mica.
After retiring from U.S. Federal, he remained active in credit unions as a board member of the credit union from 2000 and sat on the board at the time of his death.
Before joining U.S. Federal, he held a variety of positions at the Michigan Credit Union League, the Pontiac Co-Op Federal Credit Union in Michigan and the service corporation of the Minnesota League of Credit Unions.
He is survived by his wife, Helen, five children and 10 grandchildren.
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