Honoring the Life and Legacy of Kathy Chartier, President & CEO of
Members Credit Union
A visionary leader, devoted advocate, mentor, and champion of financial inclusion whose legacy continues to shape Members Credit Union and the broader credit union movement. Kathy Chartier dedicated her life to a simple but powerful belief: that financial institutions should exist to serve people with dignity, access, and respect.
Her leadership helped shape Members Credit Union into more than a financial institution—it became a community anchor, built on trust, inclusion, and service.
This page is dedicated to honoring her life, her leadership, and the lasting impact she made on members, colleagues, and the credit union movement. It is a place to reflect, remember, and carry forward the values she lived every day.
Her Story
Kathy Chartier’s story is inseparable from the story of Members Credit Union itself. The organization began in 1935, when nine teachers came together in Greenwich, Connecticut, to create a cooperative solution for people who were excluded from traditional banking services. From those early roots as a small teacher-led credit union, a mission was born: to provide fair and accessible financial opportunity for everyday people.
Kathy dedicated her career to protecting and advancing that mission. As she rose through leadership and ultimately became President & CEO in 1987, she carried forward the credit union's founding purpose with clarity and conviction. She understood that the institution was not simply growing in size—it was evolving in responsibility.
Throughout her decades of leadership, Kathy remained grounded in the same principle that shaped the credit union’s founding: people deserve access to financial opportunity, regardless of income, background, or circumstance.
She led with consistency, humility, and deep respect for the members she served. To Kathy, leadership was not defined by authority, but by service.
Transforming Members Credit Union
Under Kathy Chartier’s leadership, Members Credit Union evolved from its early roots as a small, part-time “after-school” credit union serving teachers into a full-service community financial institution. Through every stage of that growth, she remained focused on ensuring that expansion never pulled the organization away from its founding purpose: serving people with dignity, access, and care.
As the credit union transitioned into full-time operations and broadened its field of membership across Fairfield County, Kathy guided that change with intention. She believed growth should strengthen connection to the community, not replace it, and worked to ensure that members always felt seen, supported, and valued.
Her leadership also helped deepen the credit union’s commitment to inclusion. Under her guidance, Members Credit Union expanded bilingual and culturally responsive services, strengthened outreach to underserved communities, and advanced its mission of financial education and access for all members.
In later years, key milestones such as CDFI designation and the opening of the credit union’s first owned headquarters at 612 Bedford Street reflected both organizational stability and long-term vision. By 2025, the credit union had grown to serve thousands of members while maintaining a strong commitment to lending that supported low- and moderate-income households.
Through it all, Kathy’s leadership remained grounded in a simple principle: a credit union is at its strongest when it stays close to the people it serves.
A Leader in the Credit Union Movement
Kathy Chartier’s influence reached far beyond Members Credit Union. She was a respected leader within the credit union movement whose work reflected a simple but powerful belief: financial services should create opportunity, strengthen communities, and ensure that no one is left behind.
Throughout her career, Kathy championed the cooperative philosophy of “people helping people.” She believed that financial inclusion was more than a goal—it was a responsibility. Whether expanding services for immigrant families, supporting bilingual outreach, or developing programs that welcomed underserved communities into the financial mainstream, Kathy helped transform cooperative values into meaningful action.
A passionate advocate for education and leadership development, Kathy earned her designation as a Credit Union Development Educator (CUDE) and later an International Credit Union Development Educator (I-CUDE). She remained deeply engaged in the global Development Education community throughout her life, mentoring future leaders and sharing her knowledge with credit union professionals around the world.
Her commitment to service extended beyond the United States through collaborations with organizations such as American Friends of Kenya (AFK) and the African Cooperative Development Foundation (ACDF). Through these initiatives, Kathy supported educational opportunities, community development efforts, and cross-cultural partnerships that reflected her belief that cooperative principles can create positive change across borders.
In recognition of her international service and dedication to improving lives through cooperative finance, Kathy was nominated for Credit Union Hero of the Year in 2018. The nomination celebrated not only her professional achievements, but also her commitment to empowering communities and fostering opportunity wherever she served.
Kathy was also widely recognized for advancing financial access for Hispanic and immigrant communities, helping strengthen inclusive service models that aligned with the Juntos Avanzamos philosophy and inspired institutions throughout Connecticut and beyond.
Her leadership was recognized not only in formal honors but in the respect she earned from peers across the country. She was known as someone who connected strategy with humanity—ensuring that every institutional decision ultimately served real people and real communities.
Featured Resources
Honors and Recognition
Throughout her career, Kathy received numerous honors recognizing her leadership, service, and lasting contributions to the credit union movement and the communities she served. Among her many accolades were:
Herb Wegner Memorial Award Honoree (2026) - Presented by The National Credit Union Foundation
One of the credit union movement’s highest honors, recognizing a lifetime of leadership, service, and dedication to advancing financial inclusion and cooperative principles.America’s Credit Union Museum “Herstory” Inductee (2023) - Presented by America’s Credit Union Museum
Honored among a distinguished group of women whose leadership, vision, and service helped shape the history and future of the credit union movement.National Trailblazer Award for Service to the Underserved (2018) - Presented by CU Times
Recognizing her pioneering efforts to expand financial access and advocate for communities traditionally underserved by mainstream financial institutions.
Credit Union Hero of the Year Nominee (2018) - Presented by America’s Credit Unions (formerly the Credit Union National Association)
Honoring her commitment to international service, cooperative development, and community empowerment.
Outstanding Service to Connecticut Credit Unions. Presented by Connecticut Credit Union’s (Formerly known as the Credit Union League of Connecticut), recognized for 23 years of service on the Board of Directors of The Credit Union League of Connecticut
Other Awards: Development Educator Individual Achievement Award (2016), presented by the National Credit Union Foundation
Connecticut Credit Union Executive of the Year Award (2006), Volunteer of the Year – Technical Assistance, Credit Union Development Education Program (2005), presented by the National Credit Union Foundation,
Outstanding Volunteer International, Credit Union Development Education Program (2003), presented by the National Credit Union Foundation.
Watch Kathy’s Herb Wegner Award Video
The Herb Wegner Memorial Award is among the most prestigious honors in the credit union movement, recognizing individuals whose lives and careers embody the cooperative spirit and advance financial well-being for others.
Kathy's award video offers a glimpse into the values that defined her leadership: service, inclusion, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to helping people thrive. Through the reflections of colleagues, friends, and industry leaders, the video captures the lasting impact she had on Members Credit Union, the credit union movement, and the countless lives she touched throughout her career.
We invite you to watch and celebrate the life, leadership, and legacy of Kathy Chartier.
Share Your Memories
Kathy’s legacy continues through the people she served, mentored, and inspired. We invite members, colleagues, friends, and community partners whose lives were touched by Kathy to share a memory, message, or reflection on her online tribute page. These messages help preserve her legacy and honor the lasting impact she had on so many lives. Your words become part of her story.
Her Legacy Lives On
Kathy’s values remain deeply embedded in Members Credit Union. Her belief in access, dignity, and financial empowerment continues to guide how the organization serves its members every day. The credit union she helped shape remains committed to the same founding principle established in 1935: that financial opportunity should be accessible to all.
While her presence is deeply missed, her influence remains active—in the organization's culture, in the lives of the members served, and in the ongoing commitment to community-centered finance.
Kathy’s legacy is not only remembered. It is lived.