Dan Mica stepped down after 14 years as CUNA's president/CEO onJuly 1. Mica, who had been a member of Congress and a lobbyist onbehalf of the insurance industry before taking the CUNA job, satdown with Credit Union Times nine days before leavingoffice to reflect on his time as head of the largest credit uniontrade association.

Credit Union Times: What achievementor achievements are you proudest of?

Dan Mica: First I want to say that anythingthat might have occurred was because of great staff work and staffsupport. We changed the perception of credit unions in the UnitedStates in general and in Washington. The credit union movement hasbeen changed from being a little-known entity on the national sceneto one that has more of a presence.

We also essentially took the issue of the taxation of creditunions off the table. Both Democrats and Republicans tell us thatit isn't a viable option. Also, we created a strong Washingtonoffice, and that hadn't always been the case and this helped giveus a bigger presence. We have gotten stronger politically and areas strong as we've ever been, but the problem has been that ouropponents have gotten stronger too.

I am also pleased with how we handled the difficult financialtimes. We had to make some tough decisions, but we have beentransparent about things and we have posted our finances online.Also, 100% of our dues go to our core functions-communications andadvocacy-so everything else CUNA does has to operate on abreak-even or positive-margin basis.

CU Times: What's your biggestregret?

Mica: You can probably guess this one. I wasn'teffective at bringing the credit union system into a one-voicestructure. We could get more things done if we spoke with onevoice, but that will be somebody else's agenda.

CU Times: Any other mistakes?

Mica: When you do a lot of things there aregoing to be mistakes and errors of judgment and I made some.

CU Times: Such as?

Mica: I will leave it at that. All I can say isthat I put my heart and soul into this and did everything I couldto help credit unions.

CU Times: What have been the biggestchanges in the political climate during your CUNA tenure?

Mica: When I started here and when I was inCongress, there was a greater interest in collegiality andbipartisanship. Today, partisanship rules the day.

CU Times: How has the NCUA changedduring your tenure? Has it mostly changed for the better or for theworse?

Mica: I commend Chairman [Debbie] Matz becausetransparency helps everybody. Our relationship with the agency hasvaried. During the tenure of Norm D'Amours, we had essentially norelationship and it has been better with the subsequent chairs. Wewon't always agree with the agency, but there has in recent yearsbeen a willingness there to listen and have an honestdiscussion.

The recent financial crisis showed that the NCUA is in need of astrong internal review and an updating of its approach and findinga way to strengthen its presence within the financial servicescommunity. FDIC Chair Sheila Bair has become a real voice to belistened to on these issues and we are still waiting on that fromthe NCUA.

CU Times: People love credit unionsand your PAC has ramped up its campaign giving. Why haven't creditunions been able to be more successful in getting what they want onCapitol Hill?

Mica: Credit unions are the good guys and theydon't like to be tough. Folks on the Hill like us and want to workwith us but they don't fear us. We took a different tactic oninterchange. The risks of losing were strong but sometimes you haveto take a stand.

CU Times: So what's next for DanMica?

Mica: I am still deciding. I will give adviceas needed to CUNA through the end of the year. I have hadopportunities inside and outside the credit union system. But Ihave never taken three or four weeks off at one time so I am goingto do that-and visit family and friends in California andFlorida-and then decide. I have been approached by law firms andother places about lobbying and other activities but haven'tdecided.

CU Times: What advice do you have forBill Cheney?

Mica: Be good to the people in the credit unionsystem, and they'll be great to you. Have a great deal oftransparency and don't spring any surprises on members.

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