The Federal Reserve appointed Lourdes Cortez, president/CEO for the $223 million, Totowa,N.J.-based NorthJersey Federal Credit Union, to serve on the CommunityDepository Institutions Advisory Council. Cortez was chosen from182 credit unions in New Jersey. The prestigious honor recognizesCortez's 30-plus years as a credit union executive and her wealthof experience.

“I am certainly honored to become a part of such an importantcouncil,” Cortez said about her new appointment. “Since my team andI have significantly grown our credit union through a variety ofstrategies, I hope to provide input on issues and lessons learnedabout financial institutions and the communities we serve.”

Credit union leaders on the 2016 council include CouncilPresident Michael J. Castellana, president/CEO for the Albany,N.Y.-based StateEmployees Federal Credit Union ($3 billion in assets); Glenn D.Barks, president/CEO of the Chesterfield, Mo.-based FirstCommunity Credit Union ($2 billion in assets); and Jan Roche,president/CEO of StateDepartment Federal Credit Union ($1.7 billion in assets) inAlexandria, Va.