What first comes to mind when someone mentions diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the context of credit unions? Chances are, it's a commonly-discussed practice like hiring and promoting more people of color, or expanding the credit union's financial services to underserved individuals, such as by offering ITIN loans to immigrants who lack Social Security numbers.

While these types of actions are important, to truly make a difference credit unions must go deeper and consider new places, beyond the ones that have been visited over and over, where inequality might exist.

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Natasha Chilingerian

Natasha Chilingerian has been immersed in the credit union industry for over a decade. She first joined CU Times in 2011 as a freelance writer, and following a two-year hiatus from 2013-2015, during which time she served as a communications specialist for Xceed Financial Credit Union (now Kinecta Federal Credit Union), she re-joined the CU Times team full-time as managing editor. She was promoted to executive editor in 2019. In the earlier days of her career, Chilingerian focused on news and lifestyle journalism, serving as a writer and editor for numerous regional publications in Oregon, Louisiana, South Carolina and the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition, she holds experience in marketing copywriting for companies in the finance and technology space. At CU Times, she covers People and Community news, cybersecurity, fintech partnerships, marketing, workplace culture, leadership, DEI, branch strategies, digital banking and more. She currently works remotely and splits her time between Southern California and Portland, Ore.