Virginia House of Delegates Salutes TruEnergy FCU's Lynette Smith, African-American Credit Union Coalition

Credit Union representatives were honored Feb. 18 in the Virginia House of Delegates. The House saluted the work of the African-American Credit Union Coalition and the leadership of TruEnergy Federal Credit Union President/CEO Lynette Smith, a past chairwoman of the AACUC and advocate for credit unions at both the state and national levels. The Virginia Credit Union League established a scholarship last year in Smith's name to allow an African-American credit union leader from Virginia to attend the AACUC's Annual Conference free-of-charge. Richmond Heritage Federal Credit Union's Randy Cooper was the recipient of the inaugural scholarship. Pictured (from left): CeJae Vtipilson (Virginia Credit Union League); Randy Cooper (Richmond Heritage Federal Credit Union); Amber Mooney (TruEnergy Federal Credit Union); Em'mia Hughes (TruEnergy Federal Credit Union) and Rick Pillow (Virginia Credit Union League).

CONTACT:
Lewis Wood
Vice President of Public Relations and Communication
800.768.3344, ext. 1629
lwood@vacul.org

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Members of the Virginia House of Delegates honored the African-American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC) and TruEnergy Federal Credit Union CEO Lynette Smith during its session Feb. 18. Representatives of the Virginia Credit Union League and TruEnergy Federal Credit Union were introduced, with lawmakers recognizing the work of the AACUC in aiding the professional growth of African-American credit union leaders through education, mentoring and internships.

Last year, the Virginia Credit Union League established a scholarship in honor of Lynette Smith, a tireless credit union advocate and a champion for the credit union movement at both the state and national levels.  She is a past chairwoman of the AACUC and current President/CEO of TruEnergy Federal Credit Union in Springfield, Va.

TruEnergy Federal Credit Union's Amber Mooney and Em'mia Hughes represented TruEnergy CEO Lynette Smith at the Virginia General session Feb. 18. They were joined by Randy Cooper (Richmond Heritage Federal Credit Union), recipient of the inaugural Lynette Smith Scholarship from the Virginia Credit Union League, and Rick Pillow (Virginia Credit Union League).

The Lynette Smith Scholarship is granted annually to one Virginia-domiciled credit union leader to attend the African American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC) Annual Conference. Last year, Richmond Heritage Federal Credit Union CEO Randy Cooper became the first recipient of the scholarship.

“Lynette is an inspiration to countless peers and the coming generation of credit union leaders,” said Rick Pillow, president of the Virginia Credit Union League. “She is passionate about our movement and our ability to serve our members. More importantly, she’s married that passion to purpose in advocating for all credit unions and in ensuring that the next generation of credit union leaders has the tools they need to succeed.”

The Virginia Credit Union League funds the Lynette Smith Scholarship annually, with the AACUC soliciting applications for the scholarship and selecting the scholarship recipient.

About the Virginia Credit Union League

The Virginia Credit Union League is the statewide trade association representing the 122 member-owned, not-for-profit credit unions headquartered in the Commonwealth. VACUL deploys its resources to address credit unions’ needs in the areas of advocacy, compliance and professional development.

About the African-American Credit Union Coalition

The AACUC was created to increase the strength of the global credit union community. AACUC is a non-profit organization of African-American professionals and volunteers in the credit union industry.