Three Distinguished Leaders to Receive AACUC 2026 Pete Crear Lifetime Achievement Award
2026 Pete Crear Lifetime Achievement Award Honorees
Award celebrates enduring contributions to equity, leadership, and progress in the credit union movement
SNELLVILLE, GA, UNITED STATES, April 14, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The African-American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC) has named three deserving illustrious leaders as recipients of the 2026 Pete Crear Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing enduring contributions to the credit union movement and embodiment of AACUC’s mission. The recipients are:
• Mary McDuffie, President/CEO, Retired, Navy Federal Credit Union
• Marsha Majors, President/CEO, Retired, U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union
• Gary J. Perez, President/CEO, USC Credit Union
Collectively, these three leaders represent the helm of the nation’s largest credit union, a historic first as the first African American female credit union CEO, and transformative growth that expanded one institution’s assets nearly 47 times its original size.
Named after Pete Crear, long-time AACUC member and retired and past President/CEO of the World Council of Credit Unions, Inc. for pioneering significant advancements in the credit union ecosystem, the Pete Crear Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes excellence in advancing the credit union philosophy of “People Helping People.” Honorees demonstrate significant impact through leadership, service, and contributions to credit union growth, infrastructure, advocacy, and community impact.
“There is extraordinary leadership across the credit union movement, and this year we are proud to recognize not one, but three exceptional leaders,” said Renée Sattiewhite, President/CEO of AACUC regarding the biennial award. “Mary, Marsha, and Gary have each expanded access to financial services through innovation, purpose-driven leadership, and a deep commitment to the communities they serve.”
Marsha Majors is the retired President/CEO of U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union headquartered in Albuquerque, NM, offering more than 40 years of financial services experience. As the first African American woman CEO to build and lead a billion-dollar-plus credit union, Majors excelled at strategically transitioning her organization to forge new pathways to success. She is committed to mentoring and sharing her story to encourage other women. Majors is a recognized New Mexico Woman of Influence, 2022 African American Credit Union Hall of Fame inductee, recipient of the New Mexico Top CEOs for Banking and Finance, and CEO Progress. Majors enjoys life with her husband, two daughters, and three grandchildren.
Mary McDuffie served as the President/CEO of Navy Federal Credit Union from 2019 until her retirement in 2024, growing the financial institution from $97 billion to $171 billion. Prior to becoming President/CEO, she served in multiple executive positions. Outside of the credit union, she served as a member of the Visa Senior Executive Council and the regional board of the Richmond Federal Reserve. Before joining Navy Federal, she worked for Star Systems, now part of Fiserv. She began her career with J. Walter Thompson advertising, working in the Washington, DC, and Jakarta, Indonesia offices. She graduated with honors from Wellesley College.
Gary J. Perez has led USC Credit Union (USCCU) as President and CEO since 1988, transforming it from a $15 million campus-based institution into a $700 million full-service credit union serving the entire University of Southern California (USC) Trojan Family and surrounding underserved communities. Under his leadership, USCCU earned rare triple designations as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), Minority Depository Institution (MDI), and Juntos Avanzamos credit union. With nearly five decades in the credit union industry, Perez has also served on multiple national and regional boards, including the AACUC Board of Directors, advancing financial inclusion. A Los Angeles native, he holds degrees from Azusa Pacific University and USC, where his family maintains deep Trojan ties.
“The Pete Crear Lifetime Achievement Award represents the highest honor within AACUC, recognizing individuals whose careers have fundamentally strengthened the credit union movement,” said Marvin York, Chair of the AACUC Board of Directors. “This year’s honorees exemplify the vision, resilience and commitment to equity that continue to move our industry forward.”
Majors, McDuffie and Perez will be honored at the Pete Crear Lifetime Achievement Award Ceremony and Dinner during the 2026 AACUC Annual Conference in Alpharetta, Georgia on August 5, 2026. TruStage is the Event Title Sponsor for the Award Ceremony.
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About the Pete Crear Lifetime Achievement Award
This prestigious award is presented biennially to recognize a credit union professional or volunteer whose career best embodies the African-American Credit Union Coalition’s mission to increase the strength of the global credit union community. Sustained excellence is a hallmark of the recipients. The recipient has demonstrated support for the credit union philosophy of “People Helping People,” organized and/or provided significant assistance to credit unions in need, and constructively impacted the infrastructure, growth, legislative, regulatory, image and/or service delivery capacity of the Credit Union Movement.
In August 2003, Pete Crear was the second person to receive the AACUC Lifetime Achievement Award and was further honored by having the award named after him and a college scholarship established in his name. Crear is retired and the past President and Chief Executive Officer of The World Council of Credit Unions, Inc. (WOCCU). Crear is considered a credit union pioneer.
About the African-American Credit Union Coalition
The AACUC is a 501c3 non-profit organization created in 1999 to increase diversity within the credit union community through advocacy and professional development. A recipient of the 2022 Anchor Award from the National Credit Union Foundation for its leadership and global efforts unifying financial industries in eradicating racism amid the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest in 2020, AACUC has become an all-encompassing organization for executives, professionals, volunteers, consultants and regulators within the financial services industry. AACUC is considered a leader in the credit union movement, adopting the 8th Cooperative Principle (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) and enabling credit unions to become more diverse and inclusive. Learn more at www.aacuc.org or on social media at Facebook.com/AACUC1, Linkedin.com/company/AACUC, X.com/AACUC1 or Instagram.com/aacucctc.
Dohnia Dorman
African-American Credit Union Coalition
+1 770-761-2769
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