Juan Fernandez is the President/CEO of the Credit Union Association of Louisiana (Luminate), and was previously the President/CEO of the Credit Union Association of New Mexico. In these roles, he is the first Latino to serve as a state league president in the Credit Union industry and has used his platform to help credit unions reach deeper into Latino communities and empower emerging Latino leaders in the industry. His work in cooperatives began early in life, working as a teller at a Credit Union while pursuing his college education. Juan has worked in credit unions and cooperatives for over 20 years, and in four states (NY, NM, WA, and LA) and Puerto Rico and during that time has embraced and exemplified the cooperative principles. Across those 2+ decades, he has worked in community development, membership development, leadership, strategy, government affairs, and financial wellness. He is a passionate, mission-driven leader who believes in the potential of cooperatives as the solution to the complex problems of our economy. In his career, he has championed community development and attained the Credit Union Development Educator (CUDE) designation in 2009. He has tirelessly worked to empower credit unions to serve the underserved. He has used his personal background and experiences to help credit unions better fulfill the needs of Latino, immigrant, and low-income populations. He is an adept political strategist and has used that to advocate strong and resilient policies for the credit union movement at the local, state and federal level. Juan’s ability to pass comprehensive legislation is the result of his knack for building coalitions, forging relationships, and driving effective change across political and ideological lines. Juan believes the superpower of cooperatives are our principles and he is passionate about creating collaboration amongst cooperatives across industries. He has volunteered for his local food cooperative, La Montanita Coop, and served as their treasurer for several years, providing him valuable perspective of the challenges faced by another cooperative industry. He has worked for or with credit unions in Louisiana, New Mexico, Washington, New York, and Puerto Rico, equipping him with a valuable perspective on the challenges faced across different communities and different regions of the country. Juan was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and is very passionate about helping cooperatives reach Latino, immigrant, and communities of color. Juan received his BA in Economics from Binghamton University and his MBA from Western Governors University.