CU Leadership Honored with Herb Wegner Memorial Awards

The National Credit Union Foundation has announced the recipients of the 2027 Herb Wegner Memorial Awards, recognizing three extraordinary leaders whose work has advanced the credit union movement and strengthened communities across the country.

Lily Newfarmer	Cathie Tierney

This year's honorees are Lily Newfarmer, president/CEO of Tarrant County's Credit Union, and Cathie Tierney, president/CEO of Community First Credit Union (Appleton, Wis.), who each received the Outstanding Individual Achievement Award, along with the National Association of Latino Credit Unions & Professionals (NLCUP), recipient of the Outstanding Organization Award. The awards will be presented March 1, 2027, during the Foundation Gala in Washington, D.C., held in conjunction with America's Credit Unions' Governmental Affairs Conference.

For nearly four decades, the Herb Wegner Memorial Awards have honored individuals and organizations whose leadership creates lasting change for credit unions, their members, and the communities they serve. Newfarmer was recognized for her unwavering commitment to expanding mentorship, innovation, and leadership opportunities—including her work championing small credit unions and co-founding the Credit Union Women's Leadership Alliance. NLCUP was honored for its remarkable growth and impact in developing Latino leaders while helping credit unions better serve diverse communities. Tierney's decades of leadership, including her advocacy to protect the cooperative model, also earned national recognition.

Cornerstone President/CEO Caroline Willard reflected on the announcement, saying, "I'm especially proud of my friend Lily, a passionate credit union champion who frequently collaborates with Cornerstone and generously shares her expertise with our members. Honors like these remind us that strong leadership and collaboration continue to shape a brighter future for credit unions."

Congratulations to Lily, Cathie, and the entire NLCUP team on this well-deserved recognition. Their leadership exemplifies the credit union philosophy of people helping people and continues to inspire our movement.