Carla Decker, President & CEO of District Government Employees Federal Credit Union (DGEFCU) and treasurer of NCBA CLUSA’s Board of Directors, was named to El Tiempo Latino’s inaugural Powermeter 100 for the Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia Metro area.
A measure of influence within the DC Metro area’s Hispanic community by the region’s largest Spanish language newspaper, the Powermeter 100 recognizes, motivates and promotes the top 100 people who create opportunities for the Hispanic community.
“At a time when there is too much talk about what divides us, Powermeter 100 provides opportunities to celebrate the people who are bridging the divides and enhancing quality of life for residents of Hispanic communities,” Javier Marin, publisher and CEO of El Tiempo Latino, said in a press release.
Decker and other honorees were recognized June 26 at an event at the Washington Post Live Center.
“It’s a great personal honor to be named to the impressive list of leaders comprising the Powermeter 100,” Decker said. “It’s also an amazing distinction for our credit union and an opportunity to broaden awareness of our co-op’s commitment to and success in serving the DC Hispanic community.”
The Powermeter 100 is also a great resource for co-ops seeking to leverage a network of people and organizations from the public and private sectors that are “available, capable and committed to increasing the civic, social and economic participation of Hispanics,” Decker added.
Under Decker’s leadership, DGEFCU embraced a mission of financial inclusion, ultimately becoming a Community Development Financial Institution. In 2006, DGEFCU joined with two other local credit unions to create the region’s first Spanish-language branch, ACCESO, to provide banking, credit and financial education services to Ward One’s unbanked Hispanic community. Decker is also a co-founder of the Network of Latino Credit Unions & Professionals.
The Powermeter 100 is reflective of demographic trends in the region. According to U.S. census data, the District saw a 14.6 percent increase in its Hispanic population between 2010 and 2012, outpacing the national average, which grew by 5.1 percent during the same time period. The Hispanic presence in the surrounding states of Maryland and Virginia is even greater, almost double proportionally to the District.
Learn more about this year’s Powermeter 100 honorees here.