DENVER — The campaign by some volunteers to gain a stronger voice in the management of trade associations, which cropped up three years ago within NAFCU, looks to resurface again in October at the annual meeting here of the National Association of Credit Union Chairmen.
The issue, percolating for years among director groups and forcing some changes in election procedures in state leagues, stands to come up again at NACUC's chairmen's roundtable conference Oct. 22-25 in connection with comments made by one of the group's members, Marlene Schwartz, chairman of State Department FCU of Alexandria, Va.
Schwartz has been critical of voting rules that effectively blocked volunteers from winning seats on all-CEO boards. This week she said the large trade groups, NAFCU and CUNA, in particular, continue to give "only lip service" to opening up boards to volunteers.
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A NAFCU spokesman said there is indeed one volunteer on its board, Charles Thomas, a former CEO who has since retired and is in the middle of a three-year term.
NAFCU Senior Vice President of Communications Jay Morris said that there are no rules against volunteers being elected to the NAFCU Board. "NAFCU has long encouraged volunteers to run for the board through its nominating process," he said, noting that a volunteer was on this year's ballot.
Peter Bruno, the chairman of NACUC and of Financial Resources FCU, Bridgewater, N.J., without commenting directly on Schwartz' view said chairmen "are encouraged to seek leadership opportunities in national CU trade organizations."
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