Broken Bones Could Not Keep Hyland From First NCUA Board Meeting

ALEXANDRIA, Va.-While acknowledging some big issues credit unions have to face, NCUA Board plebe Gigi Hyland had an obstacle of her own. Prior to the start of the NCUA Board's November meeting, Hyland could be witnessed hobbling around on crutches, which she earned doing nothing "glamorous" like skiing, she said. She commended NCUA Chairman JoAnn Johnson for leading the agency through "a series of complex, far-reaching issues. with grace and determination." "I am genuinely excited to be a part of what Chairman Johnson recently referred to as a "new era at the NCUA," an era in which our decisions as a Board will have a lasting effect on the future financial integrity and viability of credit unions," Hyland said. The credit union community veteran continued, "Undoubtedly, these are trying times for credit unions. Credit unions are being admonished to validate their efforts to serve all segments of their charter, they are being challenged to have their boards and management reflect the diversity of their membership and their tax-exempt status is under significant scrutiny. I believe that credit unions and NCUA must be mindful of the current challenges and we as a Board must address these challenges head-on." Hyland emphasized the importance of credit unions in the marketplace and the difference they make in their members' lives. "I can attest that the credit union movement's cooperative principles are alive and well," she stated. "I am confident that working cooperatively, we will ensure that credit union members continue to receive the products and services they want and that credit unions will secure a lasting presence in the financial services arena," Hyland concluded. -scooke@cutimes.com