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Lifetime Achievement Award

Celebrate a Lifetime of Achievement

The CUNA Marketing & Business Development Council’s Marketing Professional of the Year, Community Outreach Professional of the Year, Business Development Professional of the Year and Rising Star Awards represent what is known as a “career year.” That period of time when you make all the right moves, and the pieces fall into place. But only one award honors a lifetime of such achievement.

The Lifetime Achievement Award alone recognizes marketing, business development and community outreach professionals who have excelled at this difficult discipline throughout their professional careers. This honor is not solely for those who have retired or about to but could also recognize an individual who will continue in the credit union workspace for some time to come and has made a monumental impact. It’s an honor not easily won, and even less frequently bestowed. But it’s of vital importance in its measure of excellence, and CUNA Marketing & Business Development Council’s most prestigious honor.

Nominations Deadline

February 6, 2023

Nomination deadline will be strictly followed – no nominations will be accepted after February 6, 2023 so please don’t wait until the last minute – applications take time to fill out and complete. Thank you!

Nominate the Crème de la Creme

Introduced for the first time in 1995, the Lifetime Achievement Award is open to credit union marketing, business development, and community outreach professionals who have surpassed setting the standards for excellence. Nominees may be current or former credit union professionals in these fields, alive or deceased.

In addition to excellence in performance, the only other criterion is that their credit union of primary influence be affiliated with the Credit Union National Association.

Recognize Your Peers

Lifetime Achievement candidates must earn the respect of their credit union peers, reflected through peer nomination for the award. Dues-paying CUNA Marketing & Business Development Council members may nominate their candidates of choice using the nomination form. (Former employers and/or survivors of candidates nominated posthumously will be asked for verification and acceptance.)

Selection Process

A volunteer panel of judges, who are selected through an application process and are peers, industry professionals and past winners, will review and score the Lifetime Achievement entries. Selection will be based on the candidates' mastery of and contributions to:

  • Respect of peers 
  • CUNA Marketing & Business Development Council member involvement 
  • Career marketer / business development / community outreach professional 
  • Contribution to credit union marketing / business development / community outreach 
  • Contribution to success of candidate’s credit union 
  • Contribution to the movement 
  • Contribution to outside organizations

Winner Recognition

In addition to recognition throughout the credit union movement, each Lifetime Achievement inductee receives the following honors:

  • A prestigious commemorative award 
  • A profile in Credit Union Magazine 
  • A complimentary registration to this year’s conference in Orlando 
  • The opportunity to help select the following year's recipient and present the award

How to Enter

Each nominator must complete the nomination form and explain in detail why his or her candidate deserves this prestigious award. The Lifetime Achievement panel of judges will then evaluate all entries, assigning numeric scores to the following categories:

  • Number of years in their profession 
  • Contributions to their profession 
  • Contributions to the success of the candidate’s credit union 
  • Credit union movement contributions 
  • Involvement in outside organizations

Complete the online nomination form by February 6, 2023. The steps below outline exactly how to enter.

  1. Register an Account
  2. Create Your Entry
  3. Upload Digital Files
  4. Submit Entry

LOGIN to begin entry process

Questions

If you have questions about the entry process, please contact CUNA Councils at awards@cuna.coop.