MANCHESTER, N.H. — America's Credit Union Museum is cementing the legacies of 20 female credit union leaders who have championed the movement throughout their longstanding careers, and many honorees were on site at the Manchester, New Hampshire, museum to witness the exhibit's unveiling.
The museum, which opened in 2002 is housed in the same building that was once home to St. Mary's Cooperative Credit Association — which through the assistance of Canadian credit union pioneer Alphonse Desjardins became the first credit union founded in the U.S. But in the museum's 20-year history, stories of women pioneers had been largely absent from its exhibits and displays, said Stephanie Smith, executive director of the museum.
"Right from the beginning, that was an entire part of the credit union movement that we didn't have included in the museum," Smith said. "The exhibits have changed over the years, but we really had never done anything like this before."
While at the 2022
The "Credit Union Women Making History … HERSTORY" exhibit officially opened on Thursday, featuring an interactive display of plaques with biographies describing a portion of each honoree's career and achievements.
"This is a great moment to honor these women, but so many of them said their work isn't done and they have more work to do," Smith said. "That's exactly how the museum feels [as] this is a great moment, and we want to pause and celebrate it, but it's just the beginning of what we want to do with this exhibit."
Many credit unions are furthering the movement for diversity and inclusion by
Lily Newfarmer, president and chief executive of the $121 million-asset Tarrant County's Credit Union in Fort Worth, Texas, was honored in part for her work in establishing the
"We just found it critically important to provide a platform and a voice for these women from smaller credit unions because, guess what, smaller credit unions are critical to the ecosystem of the credit union movement [and] our industry," with most being led by women, Newfarmer said.
Newfarmer gave special thanks to her two children Ashley and Cameron — both of whom work in the credit union industry — and expressed pride in their choice of employment.
"For a long time, I felt a lot of guilt about them not having as much 'mommy time' because I was out doing all this other stuff, so the fact that they are in our movement makes me extremely proud," Newfarmer said.
Other inductees included those working at regulatory agencies, national trade organizations, state credit union leagues and consultancy firms.
"I look at our grandchildren, and I think about their futures and the legacy that we leave them. … I know that that means we have to use our voices, that we have to be strong, we have to be the trees that these Maple Leaf [awards] come from, we have to have strong roots and we have to stand up," Mitchell said. "We have to build the systems that will ensure the next generation, and really all generations, have access to financial democracy."
The full list of living honorees includes Sarah Canepa Bang, Diana Dykstra, Roshara Holub, Gigi Hyland, Lucy Ito, Lois Kitsch, Harriet May, Maria Martinez, Susan Mitchell, Lily Newfarmer, Renee Sattiewhite, Carol Schillios and Denise Wymore. Posthumous inductees include Agnes Gartland, Elizabeth "Sis" Hamilton, Louise Herring, Dora Maxwell, Angela Melville, Rose Nevener and Miriam Rivera Lieb Vellek.
"America's Credit Union Museum is all about capturing the stories of credit unions and the difference that they make in people's lives. … But it's also about capturing the stories of the people that are the difference makers and changemakers," said Nathan Saller, chair of the museum board and CEO of the local $576 million-asset Bellwether Community Credit Union.
