TAMPA, Fla. (August 7, 2020) — Suncoast Credit Union (Suncoast) is proud to serve as local host for the African-American Credit Union Coalition’s Commitment to Change Conversation Series. The five-part virtual event takes place August 10-14, 2020.
The Commitment to Change Conversation Series is designed to inspire and empower credit union professionals to lead with a mindset of diversity, equity and inclusion during these challenging racial and public health crises to better represent, serve and achieve positive outcomes for communities of color.
“As part of our credit union DNA, Suncoast believes that education is the foundation to being inclusive and equitable to all,” said Suncoast Credit Union CAO and chief diversity officer Gary Vien. “This event will allow us to have meaningful conversations and afford all participants the opportunity to listen and learn and that ultimately leads to a better culture for all.”
The weeklong series will feature daily 90-minute virtual sessions led by expert panelists and speakers representing financial services, social justice, mental health and academia. Topics will include emotional fortitude, leadership during times of crisis, community action, and financial, economic and income equality within the context of being and serving people of color.
Diversity, equity and inclusion were at the heart of Suncoasts’ inception when five women and four men courageously began the pioneering work to charter the Hillsborough County Teachers Credit Union on December 15, 1933. Today, Suncoast continues to set policy with a firm commitment to these important matters, in order to best serve their 895,000 members.
This virtual series is being offered to credit union professionals and industry partners as a public service at no cost. For more information and event registration visit https://www.aacuc.org/.
About Suncoast Credit Union
Suncoast Credit Union is the largest credit union in the state of Florida, the ninth largest in the United States based on membership, and the 10th largest in the United States based on its $12 billion in assets. Chartered in 1934 as Hillsborough County Teachers Credit Union, Suncoast Credit Union currently operates 73 full-service branches and serves more than 895,000 members in the following 39 Florida counties: Alachua, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Gilchrist, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter and Volusia. Since its founding in 1990, the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation has raised and donated more than $29 million to organizations and initiatives that support the health, education and emotional well-being of children in the communities that the credit union serves. For more information, visit: suncoastcreditunion.com or follow us on social media at: facebook.com/SuncoastCreditUnion, linkedin.com/company/suncoastcreditunion, twitter.com/SuncoastCU or instagram.com/suncoastcreditunion.
About the African-American Credit Union Coalition
The African-American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC) was created to increase the strength of the global credit union community and seeks to increase diversity within the credit union community through advocacy and professional development. AACUC is a non-profit organization comprised of African-American professionals, volunteers, vendor partners and allies in the credit union industry. AACUC supports programs that expand the interest and the number of minorities in the credit union movement; increase outreach of the credit union movement in African countries and in the United States through mentoring, scholarship programs and educational opportunities for credit union professionals and volunteers towards professional development and advancement; and most importantly enhance internship and scholarship programs for African-American college students in pursuit of careers in financial services to introduce them to and encourage them to seek employment within the credit union movement. For more information, visit: www.aacuc.org or follow us on social media at: Facebook.com/AACUC1, Linkedin.com/company/AACUC or Twitter.com/AACUC1.