New CUNA President/CEO Jim Nussle has outlined what he considers the most important priorities for credit unions, including preserving their tax-exempt status, advocating for regulatory relief, and promoting credit unions as Americans’ best financial partner.

In a video released today, Nussle noted that the appeal of working with credit unions and CUNA lies in credit unions’ strong tradition of advocacy.

“As a member of Congress, I was on the receiving end of the almost 7,000 credit unions coming to Washington, particularly from my home state of Iowa, advocating on behalf of a very positive policy platform,” he said.

Nussle said as he begins his tenure, his priorities are to listen and learn from member credit unions, league partners, and CUNA staff to understand what has led CUNA to its current strong position—and how to improve its value proposition.

He said credit unions’ strong advocacy at the grassroots level “can break through the clutter” of Washington gridlock, particularly because credit unions “have so many strong champions in Congress... to go forth and do battle on our behalf.”