“Everything we see was created by someone.” - Monica Belz

Welcome to episode 42 of The CUInsight Experience podcast. Hosted by Randy Smith, co-founder of CUInsight.com. Today Randy is talking with Monica Belz, President and CEO of Kauai Government Employees FCU.

In essence, credit unions are social enterprises with social missions. Monica discusses what this means and gives us examples of how this impacts how she runs her credit union on Kauai. Monica believes that we can truly forge sustainable, relevant change and it’s in the DNA of credit unions.

Monica speaks to us about how important credit unions are, that the torch isn't being passed to the new leaders of today they are already holding it. She believes that social enterprise is the way for credit unions to stay relevant and that credit unions teaming with local governments and the private sector can move community development to the next level both at home and abroad.

Monica has excellent insights into being a mom to three kids, volunteering with nonprofit organizations, and keeping the work-life balance in check. She has seen and done things most of us only dream about, so you don't want to miss this conversation. Enjoy!

View full show notes here.

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How to find Monica:
Monica Belz, President and CEO of Kauai Government Employees FCU
[email protected]
www.kgefcu.org
Linkedin | Twitter | Facebook

In This Episode:
[01:38] - Aloha Monica, welcome to the show!
[02:24] - Andy and Monica discuss their kindred wanderlust spirits.
[02:49] - Monica tells us that she is going to go on a five-day rock climbing trip for her 40th birthday.
[04:10] - She speaks to us about her love of the outdoors, her need to learn as much as possible.
[05:22] - She earned her real estate license right out of high school, following in her maternal family's footsteps.
[06:08] - Monica chats about her life after college and traveling the world as a divemaster.
[08:01] - Her travels lead her to snowboard in many places as she trained for the Olympics.
[09:43] - She learned to surf in El Salvador in a little fishing village, she now owns land there.
[10:41] - She ended up in Kauai to raise her kids while she continued her education and launched her business.
[12:50] - Her heart is in international development, and she volunteers for many nonprofit programs.
[13:59] - Monica found a listing for an executive position with a credit union on Craigslist.
[14:13] - She got the job she applied for and learned what credit unions were all about.
[16:06] - How do you find that the World Credit Union Conference field engagements benefit union in Kauai? Can you share an example?
[20:15] - She talks about credit unions being social enterprises with social missions.
[22:15] - Is getting back to social enterprise the way that credit unions can stay relevant?
[26:31] - They discuss a conference that will be in Puerto Rico in May about developing communities.
[27:38] - What inspired you to go for the position of President and CEO of the Kauai Government Emp