2023 League & Advocacy Award Recipients: Ceremony at REACH

The California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues are pleased to announce the 2023 League Award recipients! Award winners will be honored during a special ceremony at REACH on October 22-26 in Las Vegas, NV.

2023 League Award Winners

• Leo H. Shapiro Lifetime Achievement Award: Lucy Ito, Interim President/CEO, Orange County’s CU.
• Distinguished Service Award: Eric Estes, President/CEO, Boulder Dam CU.
• Alvin George Outstanding Volunteer Award: Howard Welinsky, Board Director, First Entertainment CU; and Mary Yasui-Yamabe, Board Director, Kinecta FCU.
• Tomorrow’s Star Award: Vanessa Torquato, Vice President of Administration, Mocse CU; and Megan Pieper, Vice President of Marketing and eCommerce, WestStar CU.
• Social Impact Award: Erica Taylor, Vice President of Communications and Community Relations, Golden 1 CU (individual); and Comunidad Latina FCU (organization); and SAFE CU (organization); and Valley Strong CU (organization).
• Kim Bannan Eternal Flame Winners: Heri Garcia, President/CEO, Thinkwise CU (individual); and American Share Insurance/Excess Share Insurance (organization).

2023 Network Award of Excellence Winners

• Noreen Guevara, Silicon Valley Network (individual); and Orange County Network (network).

2023 Advocacy Award Winners

• Political Professional of the Year: Flora Nafei, Executive Director, Credit Union Affairs, Patelco CU.
• California Advocate Credit Union of the Year: SAFE CU.
• Nevada Advocate Credit Union of the Year: Clark County CU.
• California Advocate of the Year: Brett Martinez, President/CEO, Redwood CU.
• Nevada Advocate of the Year: Jennifer Denoo, President/CEO, Great Basin FCU.
• Supplier of the Year: TruStage.
• Shapiro Advocate of the Year: Sara Klein, President/CEO, Organized Labor CU.
• Volunteer of the Year: Terrance Tremelling, Chairperson, Board of Directors, SAFE CU.
• Nevada PAC Advocate of the Year: Sue Longson, Advocacy Specialist, Boulder Dam CU.
• California PAC Advocate of the Year: Jenna Lampson, President/CEO, Pacific Service CU.

Come celebrate your peers at REACH! The Leagues’ annual conference is the longest-running and highest-attended credit union gathering on the West Coast. You can expect dynamic keynotes, dozens of high-level educational sessions, hours of scheduled networking, an awards ceremony, and an exclusive after-hours party at the world-famous Marquee Nightclub hosted by our Platinum Sponsors.

The convention will kick off with the Leadership Summit (formerly Chapter Forum) on October 22-23. REACH 2023 will follow on October 24 – 26.

We look forward to seeing you there!