The Boardcast

Director Profile - Jim Duffany

 Jim Duffany is employed part time as an Emergency Communications Dispatcher for Clinton County and has been trained to remain calm in a crisis. He brings that quality along with enthusiasm and dedication to his position on the UFirst Board of Directors. Jim is a familiar figure in the city of Plattsburgh having retired as the city Fire Chief in 1991. He is a Plattsburgh native who spent his early childhood in a house on Brinkerhoff St. and who has seen tremendous growth in the community and at the credit union.  He grew up during a time when the SUNY Plattsburgh campus was also growing. Jim first joined the credit union when it was the SUNY Plattsburgh Federal Credit Union in 1973, a year after it was chartered. We talked about his early memories of the credit union. He described how, at one time, if a member had $500 in their share account and went to withdraw it the credit union manager might ask that they not withdraw the entire amount at one time. Jim described the most dramatic recent change as being the move from Hawkins Hall to our current location on Rugar St.

Jim's interest in the credit union motivated him to run for a board position in 2003. At first, he felt intimidated by the responsibilities of a board member. He said that he soon realized that board members were required to develop an expertise in many areas involved in overseeing a multimillion dollar operation. Jim is grateful for the educational opportunities afforded to board members to study and develop knowledge in all areas of fiscal management. He believes that the current economic environment also makes it imperative that board members pay close attention to UFirst's loan and investment portfolio. This careful monitoring is necessary to safeguard and maintain the current fiscal soundness of UFirst.

Jim used our interview as an opportunity to remind the membership that their financial well being comes first in the actions of both the staff and board of UFirst. He described the relationship between the board and the membership as a mutual one. We work for each other. This cooperation provides the benefits we all enjoy at the credit union. Jim related a personal story that illustrates the advantages of UFirst membership. I'll let him tell the story in his own words.

Director Profile - Liz Woodard

UFirst FCU Board Secretary Liz Woodard and I met this week in her office on the eighth floor of the Kehoe Administration building on the campus of Plattsburgh State University. Liz has made Plattsburgh her home for almost 30 years and has worked at Plattsburgh State since 1987. In 1990 she transfered to the Academic Affairs division of the college and now works as the Administrative Assistant to the  Academic Provost.

Liz mentioned that the products, services and benefits of credit unions have been a part of her life for many years. Her mother worked for a credit union when she was a child and Liz has been a credit union member from an early age. Becoming a member of SUNY Plattsburgh FCU was one of the first things she did when she began her career at the college. Liz recalled getting her first loan from the credit union when it was located in a small office in Kehoe. She has been a member of the board of directors for 11 years and served as board secretary for almost as long.

Liz has witnessed many changes at UFirst throughout the years. She has seen the credit union evolve over the years watching it grow from a one person operation housed on campus to a membership of over 3000 with a new operations center and a branch in the college bookstore. Liz is enthusiastic about the fact that UFirst now operates under a Community Charter. She believes that we need to balance our growth so that we maintain the personal, member-centered interactions that have distinguished us in the community.

Liz had an interesting perspective on the issues that will affect UFirst in the future. Listen while she reflects on these challenges:

At the close of our interview I asked Liz what message she would like to communicate to our membership. She said,