The DE Difference: Max Villaronga

Name: Max Villaronga

Organization: Raiz FCU

Title: President/CEO

When did you attend DE Training: I attended virtual DE in November 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all sessions were online, but the format didn’t lessen the impact. In fact, in a moment of global disruption, DE felt even more timely and transformative.

Why did you decide to attend DE training? I had been curious about DE since first entering the credit union movement. For years, it was something I respected but hadn’t prioritized. That changed when two members of my leadership team at Raiz expressed interest. I found myself wondering, how could I say yes if I didn’t fully understand the value of the experience myself? I signed up, not just to support them, but because I felt a responsibility to lead from a place of shared understanding.

What were your thoughts about DE training before you attended? I wondered if it might be too conceptual. After many years in the movement, I wasn’t sure how much would be “new.” But I quickly learned DE isn’t about new knowledge—it’s about renewed purpose. It helped reframe what it means to serve and brought deeper clarity to our mission at Raiz.

How did DE change you? Attending DE ended up being more than just educational—it was a moment of alignment between my personal values and the credit union philosophy.

DE helped me see more clearly the systemic barriers that prevent people from thriving—not just financially, but holistically. That perspective shift gave me permission to lead differently: to champion inclusive ideas, to listen more intently, and to build programs that remove barriers, not just provide services.

As a CEO, that clarity shaped how we lead at Raiz. It gave me the tools and the conviction to lead Raiz in a way that puts empathy and equity at the center of everything we do. It helped us move from transactional service to transformational impact. It reminded me that servant leadership isn’t just a philosophy—it’s a responsibility.

What were your top three takeaways from DE training?

1. The development pillars.
2. The importance of weaving empathy into what we are doing at every level.
3. How to more directly have social impact.

How did you incorporate what you learned at DE into your job? We’ve made empathy and social impact part of our operational DNA. DE reinforced that the credit union difference is more than member ownership—it’s member uplift. Since DE, we’ve launched and supported initiatives that meet real needs with compassion and dignity.

It’s also changed how we lead internally. We encourage every senior leader at Raiz to become a CUDE. Not to check a box, but to better understand how their decisions ripple into the lives of those we serve. DE gave us a common language—and a shared accountability—for making a deeper impact.

What is your DE project: My DE project was really an ongoing group project, the development and founding of The Underserved Communities Foundation (UCF). It’s now four years strong and growing. Though it started as a DE project, it’s become one of the most meaningful expressions of the credit union mission in our community. We’ve launched three signature programs:

• Sweet Beginnings helps families transitioning out of homelessness make their new space truly feel like home.
• Together We Thrive works with nonprofits to make their services more inclusive and accessible.
• Jackets for Kids provides warmth to children during the winter—no questions, no labels, just care.

We have had almost our entire senior leadership team go through the DE program and become a CUDE.  Once they graduate, we have gotten involved in different capacities forming and growing the UCF (https://underservedcommunitiesfoundation.org/).  Importantly, we have various members from the community that govern and lead the UCF.  This is not credit union led.  The UCF is an independent social endeavor that has become a community project.

How did you determine what your DE Project was going to be?  It was a team effort of the originally formed Board of Directors of the UCF and the Executive Director, Diana Hastings.  Our Board wanted to hire the most amazing Executive Director, because we knew we were not experts in many of the areas we were wanting to impact.  Diana had worked at the YWCA and she was a brilliant socially conscious contributor in their #2 role in our city.  We were so fortunate to find an incredible leader and creator that was willing to build an entire organization around a vision.  Diana has been a crucial part of our success in guiding the formation of the initial strategic plans, the original programming, and effective operations as a nonprofit.  I will also admit that my father’s passing also affected my desire to start the UCF.  It pushed me to stop “thinking about doing it” and just do it.

What Development Issue(s) does your DE Project focus on?  Affordable/accessible credit and savings; DEIBA; Education; Employment; Environment; Food Security; Housing; Health; Technology; Transportation.

What were 3 key takeaways of your DE Project?  We have created something that will live on beyond all of us.  Our key take-aways thus far are: 1) Develop programs that do not replicate existing programming, 2) identify needs in the community through community partners, 3) Fill those gaps through effective fundraising and great programs.

What impact(s) is your DE Project having on your community and the credit union organization?

At Raiz, our vision is to build a more financially empowered, inclusive, and thriving El Paso. DE helped bring that vision into sharper focus. The creation of The Underserved Communities Foundation (UCF) has become one of the most meaningful outcomes of our DE journey. It was created to break down barriers and meet real needs in our region, especially for those who are often left out of the system. It’s grounded in equity, empathy, and dignity, and it’s given us a focused way to drive social impact beyond traditional financial services.

Through UCF, we launched three signature programs, noted above, that were intentionally built to fill gaps, not duplicate what others are doing.

We’ve also been able to fund and collaborate with local nonprofits, helping them stretch their impact to those who otherwise might not be reached. In just four years, we’ve directly impacted 4,016 unduplicated individuals.

More than anything, DE has helped us connect the dots between who we are, what we do, and why it matters. We’re not just building credit scores—we’re building dignity, hope, and possibility, and we’re just getting started.