Joy Cousminer, longtime president and CEO of the former Bethex FCU in the Bronx, passed away on Christmas.

In 1970, Cousminer founded Bethex FCU in the South Bronx—one of the country’s most economically distressed urban areas. She also served for many years on the National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions’ board of directors.

A tireless advocate for credit unions, Cousminer founded the We Care Network of small credit unions in New York, with the goal of working cooperatively to build and support each other.

In 2005, she was the recipient of the National Credit Union Foundation’s Herb Wegner Memorial Award for Individual Achievement. She was inducted into the Cooperative Hall of Fame in 2013.

“Joy Cousminer dedicated her life to providing financial services and opportunities to many individuals who had few avenues for economic advancement,” said New York Credit Union Association President/CEO William J. Mellin. “She was an unwavering advocate for credit unions and a true evangelist of the credit union philosophy. On behalf of the New York credit union movement, I extend my deepest condolences and sympathies to her family and loved ones. She will be missed dearly.”