Execs honored by Va. Credit Union League

UVA Community Credit Union President and CEO Alison DeTuncq was presented with the James P. Kirsch Lifetime Achievement Award, the Virginia Credit Union League’s highest honor, during the league’s 2022 annual meeting in Roanoke on April 21.

The Kirsch award, which recognizes individuals who help improve the future for credit unions, is named in honor of the late James P. “Jimmy” Kirsch, a longtime credit union volunteer who served in leadership roles at the state, national and international levels.

DeTuncq plans to retire this year after 32 years with the credit union, including 23 years as its president and CEO.

“The success of her own credit union and the tremendous impact it’s had on the greater Charlottesville community is a testament to Alison’s leadership, her commitment to innovation and service excellence, and her dedication to credit unions’ ‘people helping people’ philosophy,” said Virginia Credit Union League President and CEO Carrie Hunt. “Her service to the credit union industry speaks to her selflessness and the passion she has for credit unions. We proudly honor Alison for a remarkable career as a leader and as a champion for our industry.”

UVA Community Credit Union is among the largest credit unions headquartered in the state. Serving more than 72,000 members across 25 counties and cities, it has assets of more than $1.4 billion.

“I’ve really loved working for a financial institution that embraces its social mission and which believes the needs of its members must always be the priority,” DeTuncq said in a statement. “It’s such a wonderful group of peers managing Virginia’s credit unions as well. I feel fortunate to have made lifelong friends within the credit union system.”

DeTuncq has served various volunteer roles with the Virginia Credit Union League. She also served on the board of directors for the Mid-Atlantic Corporate Federal Credit Union and was the the first chairman of the board of VIZO Financial Corporate Credit Union following the merger of Mid-Atlantic and First Carolina corporate credit unions in 2016.

She is a member of the board of directors for the Piedmont Virginia Community College Foundation and the Shenandoah National Park Trust.

In addition, the credit union league  also honored Patsy Smith, who retired last year as CEO of Petersburg-based Peoples Advantage Federal Credit Union, with the Eugene H. Farley Jr. Award of Excellence.

The Farley award recognizes a credit union professional or volunteer for their contributions to an individual credit union or to the industry. It is named in honor of the late Eugene H. “Gene” Farley Jr., who led the league and served Virginia’s credit unions for more than 40 years until his retirement in 1999.

Smith became CEO of Peoples Advantage in 2014, following its merger with Peoples Advantage and Resources Credit Union, a Richmond-area institution that Smith had led since 2007.

“Patsy exemplifies true leadership,” Hunt said. “She has a gift for identifying a need and marshalling the people and resources necessary to meet that need. She has spent the past 15 years helping those around her succeed and we’re proud to honor her work, leadership and vision.”

Smith has served on the credit union league board and helped form its Virginia Sister Society of the Global Women’s Leadership Network.

“Throughout my career, I always looked for ways to empower and motivate other credit union professionals to reach their full potential and grow their careers,”  Smith said. “Networking groups such as the Virginia Sister Society provided a forum to learn from colleagues and other professionals. No matter where I was in my career, I never stopped learning and listening. It was one of my keys to success.”