Gigi Hyland: 2026 Herb Wegner Memorial Award Winner
“There are leaders who manage. There are leaders who inspire. And then there are the rare few who do both – with grace, vision, and fierce determination. Gigi is one of those few.” – Tobi Weingart, SVP Member & Industry Engagement, The League of Credit Unions & Affiliates
As credit union professionals, we have the good fortune to work with people every day that are passionate about our movement and the impact they have on the people they serve. How often is it, though, that we encounter someone that has impacted generations of credit union members, even if they will never know it?
Gigi Hyland is a credit union legend of that magnitude.
She will likely say, and it is true, that an ideal as all-encompassing as “Financial Well-being for All” doesn’t gain traction on the national stage without the support of thousands of fierce advocates from credit unions across the country. But without her leadership at the National Credit Union Foundation, her care, her compassion, and her staunch belief in doing what is right, it may have never reached the ears willing to hear it, the teams ready to implement it as a strategic pillar, or the many hands eager to lift up those they have not been serving.
Jennifer Tescher, Founder & CEO of the Financial Health Network, reflects: “I engage with a wide range of financial services companies and leaders around the globe. From that perspective, I can say without hesitation that the U.S. credit union movement is far ahead of the pack in its adoption of a financial well-being approach. I am also confident that it would not have happened without the fearless leadership of Gigi Hyland.”
Melanie Murphy, Executive Director, Illinois Credit Union Foundation, notes: “Gigi showed credit unions the incredible value of placing financial health at the center of their strategy. It has a ripple effect, improving the lives of members who then pass along the positive benefits to their families and communities. It showcases the unique role credit unions play in financial services as financial cooperatives. It demonstrates the people helping people philosophy of credit unions. It provides tangible, undisputable examples for advocacy and compliance.”
Buddy Gill, retired credit union executive, notes: “Anyone who has worked with Gigi knows she has been blessed with exceptional gifts — a rare combination of legal acumen, analytical problem-solving skills, and the ability to create a strategic vision and successfully manage teams toward real achievement. Gigi doesn’t just see ‘what is’; she envisions ‘what could be.’”
Her tenure as the Executive Director of the National Credit Union Foundation was impactful in countless ways. She worked with the Foundation team to expand and strengthen the Credit Union Development Educator (CUDE) program, which impacts not just hundreds of in-person and virtual attendees each year, but also their colleagues and communities. She collaborated with credit union leaders to build and grow the FinHealth Fund, revitalized CUAid in response to the increasing number and intensity of natural disasters and still found time to offer wise counsel and mentorship to many.
“In many ways, Gigi had a hand in making the great things others of us have accomplished happen,” reflects Mike Valentine, President & CEO, BCU. “That’s also one of the most endearing qualities about Gigi. It’s never about Gigi. She fiercely puts the needs of the Movement, the Foundation, the Credit Unions, Individuals, and most importantly, our members, far above her own.”
Gigi’s tenure at the Foundation and her recent retirement cap off a distinguished career in the credit union movement. She began as an attorney in private practice with her parents, representing credit unions in a myriad of complex legal issues. Her knowledge and passion for the credit union movement grew until she found herself working with corporate credit unions through America’s Credit Unions (formerly CUNA), as the Executive Director for the Association of Corporate Credit Unions, and at Empire Corporate FCU as Senior Vice President and General Counsel. She later served as a Board Member at the NCUA, where her national regulatory perspective further advanced the system she loves.
Brad Miller, President of the AACUL says, “Throughout her impressive career, Gigi personified the cooperative principles by bringing people and organizations together to not only improve the operating environment for credit unions, but also to demonstrate and amplify the tangible ways credit unions improve people’s financial lives. Gigi is a gifted mentor and inspiring leader to many, including myself.”
Her leadership extended far beyond her job titles. Gigi has been a dedicated volunteer and board member for the National Cooperative Bank, NeighborWorks America, the World Council of Credit Unions, the Financial Health Network, and the International Credit Union Regulators’ Network. These roles highlight her global perspective and her belief that cooperative finance can change lives everywhere.
In every role, she has combined intellect, integrity, and empathy to create lasting impact. Her legacy is not just in programs built, but in people uplifted, communities strengthened, and leaders inspired.
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