DENVER (8/26/15)--The Mountain West Credit Union Foundation has launched a new division designed meet the needs for training the next generation of credit union leaders.

The Center for Credit Union Leadership combines new and existing leadership development programs to help create a unique set of programs designed to discover, develop, and actively promote the next generation of credit union leaders.

“Succession planning is a critical component to ensure the long-term growth and prosperity of our industry,” said Dan Santangelo, Mountain West Credit Union Foundation executive director. “Our goal with this new division is to provide an umbrella brand by which we can both invest in the futures of industry leaders, and be model for this type of program within the industry. We think this approach will become a solid model for credit union leadership development.”

The Center for Credit Union Leadership combines multiple programs including:

• Executive Leadership Program--A five-year leadership training initiative designed to develop the next generation of CEOs. The program provides an intensive five-year curriculum built to develop leaders specifically for the credit union industry;
• The Emerging CEO Leadership Program--A five-session course designed to develop system and process skills for new CEOs using the Baldrige Performance Model;
• The Mountain West Credit Union Association’s Leadership Institute--A leadership principles training program designed to create a stream of candidates for the Executive Leadership Program;
• Leadership Research Initiatives--A foundation research initiative designed to discover and document the characteristics of high-performing credit union leaders;
• Leadership in Action Grants--Grants designed to help credit unions put their newly developed leadership skills into action; and
• Leadership Awards --Designed to recognize outstanding examples of leaders in credit unions including the Distinguished Leader and Emerging Leader Awards.