Full Name
Winona Nava
Job Title
Retired
Company
Guadalupe Credit Union
Speaker Bio
Winona had a 45-year career in credit unions in Santa Fe, NM starting as a Collection Officer at State Employees Credit Union, completing Western CUNA Management School on a full scholarship, and moving up to Executive Vice-President of the $33 million SECU over a 12-year period. She then achieved her dream of President/CEO of Guadalupe Credit Union by accepting the role when the credit union was $10 million in assets and in conservatorship under the State of New Mexico fulfilling her growing passion to make a difference in members lives.
Guadalupe Credit Union got out of conservatorship after one year of her leadership and received a $1 million dollar bond claim from CUNA Mutual (now TruStage), Guadalupe’s field of membership was Santa Fe County and prior to the 18 months of failed leadership that led to conservatorship, had successfully served the underserved. Guadalupe Credit Union continued to thrive and in 2000 the Board Chair shared at the Annual Planning Session that there was a part of the county that was not being served, the new immigrant population that was growing in the area. Winona took on the challenge of determining how to serve that population and became involved with the founders of the National Association of Latino Credit Unions and Professionals becoming a board member.
A few years later Winona encountered Pablo DeFillipi presenting at a Credit Union Association of NM Conference and was intrigued at the concept of becoming a Community Development Credit Union and receiving CDFI grants. During their conversation Pablo stated that Guadalupe Credit Union was a CDFI and just needed to complete the necessary paperwork, under his guidance the credit union did so and received the certification. As a result, Guadalupe also received more than $7 million in CDFI grants that helped make it possible for the credit union to open branches in 2 persistent poverty counties in NM and a bilingual branch in Santa Fe to serve the underserved. Under her leadership Guadalupe Credit Union grew to over $260 million in assets, pioneered ITIN lending, restructured staff to have a department with full time financial coaches in branches, hosting and speaking to many other credit unions who followed their lead, and worked with the CU Association of NM to lobby and achieve an interest rate cap for the state of 36% to shut down predatory lending.
Guadalupe Credit Union got out of conservatorship after one year of her leadership and received a $1 million dollar bond claim from CUNA Mutual (now TruStage), Guadalupe’s field of membership was Santa Fe County and prior to the 18 months of failed leadership that led to conservatorship, had successfully served the underserved. Guadalupe Credit Union continued to thrive and in 2000 the Board Chair shared at the Annual Planning Session that there was a part of the county that was not being served, the new immigrant population that was growing in the area. Winona took on the challenge of determining how to serve that population and became involved with the founders of the National Association of Latino Credit Unions and Professionals becoming a board member.
A few years later Winona encountered Pablo DeFillipi presenting at a Credit Union Association of NM Conference and was intrigued at the concept of becoming a Community Development Credit Union and receiving CDFI grants. During their conversation Pablo stated that Guadalupe Credit Union was a CDFI and just needed to complete the necessary paperwork, under his guidance the credit union did so and received the certification. As a result, Guadalupe also received more than $7 million in CDFI grants that helped make it possible for the credit union to open branches in 2 persistent poverty counties in NM and a bilingual branch in Santa Fe to serve the underserved. Under her leadership Guadalupe Credit Union grew to over $260 million in assets, pioneered ITIN lending, restructured staff to have a department with full time financial coaches in branches, hosting and speaking to many other credit unions who followed their lead, and worked with the CU Association of NM to lobby and achieve an interest rate cap for the state of 36% to shut down predatory lending.
Speaking At
