Several Recognition Awards will be presented to New York credit union professionals and volunteers during the New York Credit Union Association’s 2018 Annual Meeting & Convention. Today’s featured award is the Outstanding Young Professional Award, which honors individuals 39 or younger whose commitment, hard work and achievements have enhanced their credit union or the entire New York credit union movement.
The Association’s Awards Committee has selected Cassandra Fortney, manager of risk and compliance at Sunmark FCU, as this year’s Outstanding Young Professional.
Fortney, who has worked at the Latham-based credit union for five years, serves on the Association’s Young Professionals Commission, where she has established herself as an ardent advocate for the credit union movement. In recent years, she has advocated for credit union legislation by representing New York at the CUNA Governmental Affairs Conference and the State GAC.
Last September, Fortney continued her credit union advocacy by assisting CUNA in piloting the Advocacy Leaders in Training Program, designed to teach young credit union professionals about the benefits of advocacy, how to build strong relationships with members of Congress, and best practices in district and Capitol Hill meetings.
Fortney is also heavily involved with young professionals locally and is a member of the Capital Chapter Council. In this capacity, she helps connect young professionals and fosters their engagement in the credit union industry as well as their local community by organizing and leading volunteer events, coordinating networking functions, and arranging for local business people and executives to speak to their group.
In addition to attending a number of credit union-specific events, Fortney recently earned her Bank Secrecy Act Compliance Specialist designation.
She has also generously volunteered her time throughout the community for several local causes and has continued to work to improve herself by pursuing educational opportunities both within the credit union industry and beyond.