NASCUS President and CEO, Lucy Ito Honored with Herb Wegner Outstanding Individual Achievement Award...

The National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) announced the honorees of their 2022 Herb Wegner Memorial Awards, highlighting a range of personal and organizational achievements within the credit union industry. Among the winners, National Association of State Credit Union Supervisors (NASCUS) President and CEO Lucy Ito will receive the Outstanding Individual Achievement Award. 

Rose Conner, Chairperson of the Board of Directors stated “I have had the great pleasure of working with a true credit union professional in Lucy Ito. She has been dedicated and successful in enhancing NASCUS and the credit union system. The honor is well-deserved. Thank you and congratulations Lucy!”  

"Throughout her career, Lucy has been committed to building bridges and opening doors to collaboration between credit unions, state regulators, federal agencies, and industry partners. She is a true champion of the credit union motto "people helping people." It's been an honor to work with her and we congratulate her on this extraordinary accomplishment.” commented Mike Williams, Chairperson of the Credit Union Advisory Council. 

As President and CEO of NASCUS, Ms. Ito advocates on behalf of state agencies that supervise more than 2,000 state-chartered credit unions and just over half of all U.S. credit union assets, as of June 30, 2021. 

“I am incredibly humbled to receive this prestigious recognition. It takes so many people for any organization to be successful. At NASCUS, our ‘secret sauce’ is our tireless staff combined with our Regulator Board of Directors, Credit Union Advisory Council, and our membership of both state agencies and credit union industry stakeholders. Together, we are more and better. I am deeply grateful to the nominators and the Herb Wegner Awards Selection Committee for recognizing the work of NASCUS, the California and Nevada Leagues, and the World Council of Credit Unions.” stated Ms. Ito.  

Having previously worked for the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues and the World Council of Credit Unions, Ito has spent her career championing credit unions’ uniqueness, bringing differing viewpoints to an objective table. 

During her extensive tenure, Ito played a critical role in: 

• Advocating for policies that foster balance and equity between state and federal credit unions, such as the National Credit Union Administration’s (NCUA) Overhead Transfer Rate methodology. 
• Tirelessly working to create an environment for state regulators and credit unions to work together to reach common-sense solutions. 
• Establishing a network of engagement and collaboration for state regulators through committees and events, such as the National Meeting for State Credit Union Regulators, launched in 2016 and held each spring. 
• Constructing idea-sharing platforms such as The Exchange—a dialogue for state regulators and $10B+ asset-based state and federal credit unions to anticipate future challenges facing the credit union system. 
• Working with the NCUA as a partner, re-committing to the Document of Cooperation between NASCUS on behalf of state regulators and NCUA in 2019 for the first time in more than a decade. 
• Increasing donations to NASCUS’ education foundation, the National Institute for State Credit Union Examination (NISCUE), and expanding scholarship opportunities for state examiners. 
• Launching a cohesive and collaborative, member-focused engagement strategy and building a nationwide trust in the NASCUS brand. 

Katie Averill, Superintendent, Iowa Department of Commerce, Division of Credit Unions stated “Lucy has a professionally unique way of bringing regulators and credit unions together that will positively impact the collective credit union industry for years to come. She leaves behind an uplifting legacy of collaboration; all in the best interest of credit union members, partners, and colleagues. I offer my most sincere congratulations to Lucy for this honor.” 

“These awards celebrate the innovators and modern-day pioneers of the credit union movement,” said Gigi Hyland, executive director of the Foundation. “These are the individuals and institutions revolutionizing the credit union system through living and embodying our founding principles and values. Their tireless work ignites and inspires all of us in our journey to make financial freedom achievable to all through credit unions. 

Accolades will be presented at the annual NCUF Dinner on Monday, February 28, 2022, in Washington, D.C., held in conjunction with the Credit Union National Association’s Governmental Affairs Conference. 

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