Honoring our Cooperative Heroes

Inductee Spotlight
Rudy Hanley
"A hero of the credit union movement."

Leader: 31 years as President and CEO of SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, now the fifth largest credit union in the United States and the largest credit union for school employees.

Educator:  developed extensive financial education programs for members.

Advocate:  worked to protect the tax-free status of credit unions, advance the right of people to choose their financial institutions, and educate lawmakers on the credit union difference.

Contributor: focused on giving back and helping the community.  In 2013, SchoolsFirst FCU members and employees donated $2 million.

Rudy Hanley's care for members and his community was an inspiration for many.  Show your appreciation by adding your name to the Friends of Rudy Hanley page in the Hall of Fame Commemorative Program.

To add your name, visit our Hall of Fame sponsorship page or contact  cdurand@cdf.coop  by April 1st.

Rudy Hanley
Retired President and CEO, SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union

          Deep commitment to member service and the cooperative principles characterize Rudy Hanley's 38-year contribution to the cooperative movement.
          For 31 years, Hanley led SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, which grew under his direction from a single location with $150 million in assets into the largest U.S. credit union for school employees, with 45 branches in California, $10 billion in assets and 600,000 members.
          Before joining SchoolsFirst, Hanley worked as an attorney for the Credit Union National Association (CUNA), where he became an advocate for the co-op model, successfully defending credit unions' tax-exempt status. Hanley continued to defend credit unions throughout his career, both on Capitol Hill and in the California Statehouse.
Following his work at CUNA, Hanley lead the research and development department of the California Credit Union League. He joined SchoolsFirst FCU in 1982.
          Under Hanley's direction, SchoolsFirst instituted financial products tailored to its members, including a low-interest credit card and affordable, low-fee mortgages without a mortgage insurance requirement. He developed extensive financial education programs for members and rallied credit union colleagues to fund the PBS financial literacy program, Biz Kid$.
          Hanley embraced innovative technologies, bringing ATMs and other electronic services to the membership and co-founding an organization to research and develop technology solutions for credit unions.
Beyond his considerable accomplishments, colleagues admire Hanley's qualities as a mentor and leader, praising him for "making leaders out of otherwise ordinary people."


The Cooperative Hall of Fame is administered by the Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF), the 501(c)(3) non-profit affiliate of the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA CLUSA).  Nominations are received annually from the cooperative community, with the final selection made by the NCBA Board of Directors on the recommendations of a selection committee of national cooperative leaders. The Cooperative Hall of Fame gallery is on display in NCBA CLUSA's offices in Washington, DC and it also can be visited on the web at  www.heroes.coop. 

For dinner attendance or sponsorship information, contact CDF at 202-383-5445 or cdurand@ncba.coop .