Todd A. Powell, recently retired CEO of Spokane Firefighters Credit Union, was recognized by CU*NorthWest as the first recipient of the Todd A. Powell award at the 2017 CU*NorthWest Leadership Conference held June 27-29, 2017 in Airway Heights, Washington.

Todd devoted twenty-three years to the credit union industry, serving as a member of the CU*NorthWest Board of Directors from 2005 to 2017 and as Chairman for eleven of those years. “Todd’s belief in and enthusiasm for disrupting the data processing vendor status quo for credit unions helped lead to the formation of our CUSO,” said Greg Smith, CU*NorthWest CEO. “His respect in the industry and commitment to building something better inspired others to follow.”

Powell’s dedication, passion, and determination served not only as a guide, but as a compass for CU*NorthWest to grow and prosper into a CUSO that is now known in the industry for its core values of cooperation, collaboration, and innovation.

“It saddened me to leave the credit union, the members and staff that I worked with on a daily basis, the team we had built over the years and the company that we had grown to be,” said Powell. “I didn’t, however, realize the impact it would have on me when I announced I would be leaving my CU*NorthWest family. I hadn’t founded the credit union, however I did help found CU*NorthWest and it is with great honor that I accept this award. I look forward to keeping in touch and will be following the growth of CU*NorthWest over the years as they have become and always were more than just a vendor. I am happy to call them my friends. Again, thank you for the recognition and here is too many more years of cooperative success.”