Iowa's Young professional selected to "Crash" CUNA's 2014 Government Affairs Conference

DES MOINES - Alvaro Macias, Community Development Coordinator at Ascentra Credit Union, has been selected as Iowa's young professional representative to "Crash" and attend the 2014 CUNA Government Affairs Conference (GAC) in Washington D.C., February 23-27.

CUNA and the Cooperative Trust - a young professionals group through the Filene Research Institute - have partnered with state leagues to choose up to 51 young credit union professionals from each state and D.C. to take part in the Crash event. In addition to the core schedule of GAC events, Crashers will attend exclusive speaker sessions and explore opportunities for young adults to help promote credit unions locally and nationally.

"It's important that we provide our young credit union leaders with experiences like Crash the GAC that will help them to grow our industry for years to come," said Patrick S. Jury, CEO/President, Iowa Credit Union League. "Considering the regulatory and legislative challenges that credit unions face today, it's hard to imagine a more critical area for this group to focus on."

Each crasher will receive complimentary registration to the GAC conference, as well as have travel costs and hotel fees covered, courtesy of the Iowa Credit Union League, CUNA and the Cooperative Trust.

"With so many talented young credit union professionals in Iowa, it is truly an honor to have been chosen to represent the state," said Alvaro. "I look forward to working with other credit union peers on the issues that affect all of us."

Crash events have been successful over the past several years in providing young, motivated credit union employees with opportunities to take part in top industry events like CUNA GAC that they might not otherwise be able to attend. With 51 Crashers and a record number of applications received, the 2014 Crash the CUNA GAC will be the largest Crash event to date.

"We're very excited to have Alvaro represent Ascentra Credit Union and Iowa credit unions in this regard," said Dale Owen, Ascentra Credit Union President and CEO. "He's an outstanding choice and we're proud to have him serve in this capacity!"

More information about the GAC can be found on CUNA's website. Details about the Crash the GAC can be found on the event's website.

About the Iowa Credit Union League
The Iowa Credit Union League is the trade association that represents the interests of Iowa credit unions and their more than one million members. Credit unions are not-for-profit, financial cooperatives owned and operated by their members. Iowans use their credit union membership to receive higher interest rates on savings and lower interest rates on loans. For more information on ICUL and Iowa credit unions, visit www.IowaCreditUnions.com. Follow ICUL on Twitter at www.twitter.com/icul or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/iowacreditunions.To learn more about credit unions, visit www.ASmarterChoice.org.

About Ascentra Credit Union Founded in 1950, Ascentra Credit Union is Iowa's premier credit union with more than $320 million in assets, more than 33,000 members, and 10 branches serving the Midwest. Membership is available for anyone living or working in the Quad Cities or surrounding counties including the following counties in Iowa: Cedar, Clinton, Delaware, Des Moines, Dubuque, Jackson, Johnson, Jones, Linn, Louisa, Muscatine, Scott and Washington; in Illinois: Henry, Knox, Mercer, Peoria, Rock Island and Whiteside. With a full range of financial services, Ascentra is committed to excellence in service and living up to our value proposition of "Listening, caring, doing what's right." Follow Ascentra on Facebook and on Twitter @ascentra.