BCU is proud to announce that President and CEO Mike Valentine has been honored with the 2025 Herb Wegner Memorial Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement, the highest recognition bestowed by the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF). This prestigious accolade celebrates Mike’s visionary leadership and innovation, relentless advocacy for financial well-being, and his profound impact on the credit union industry.

The Herb Wegner Memorial Awards are often regarded as the "Nobel Prizes" of the credit union world, honoring pioneers who embody innovation, creativity, and bold leadership. Mike will receive this distinguished award at the NCUF’s annual Foundation Dinner on March 3, 2025 in Washington, D.C.

A Legacy of Leadership and Innovation

Mike’s commitment to reducing people’s financial stress, improving financial confidence, and acknowledging that financial, physical, and mental health are all critical components of a person’s overall well-being, dates back 40 years. He always finds ways to deliver on the Credit Union’s promise to help people discover financial freedom through partnerships with some of America’s best workplaces including Target, UnitedHealth Group, GEICO, HCA Healthcare, Baxter and many more. Mike forged relationships with Company Partners that foster a people-first culture of caring that parallels the industry’s people-helping-people philosophy.

The impact Mike has on people across the credit union system and beyond is truly inspirational. Multiple credit union CEOs have worked under Mike’s tutelage, as have other senior credit union executives, League leaders, current and former board members, CUSO leaders, and business partners. They often tell stories of Mike being the perfect mentor who encouraged their development and connected them with others in the industry, advocating for them, or just being there to offer encouragement.

Celebrating a True Changemaker

“When it comes to elevating others, I simply know of no one better in the credit union industry,” said Brian T. Schools, Chartway Credit Union President and CEO. “[…] He’s an exemplary leader, and everyone genuinely likes and respects him. A credit union movement that never had Mike’s leadership fingerprints is a movement that does not fulfill its ‘people helping people’ philosophy on so many levels.”

“As BCU celebrates Mike’s remarkable achievement, his leadership continues to inspire us to pursue excellence and create meaningful change,” said Jill Sammons, BCU Senior Vice President, Marketing & Strategic Growth. “His lasting influence on every BCU employee past and present, and on the credit union movement, is underscored by this recognition.”