AACUC Recognizes Four Emerging Leaders with 2026 Commitment to Change Young Professionals Leadership Award

2026 CTC Young Professionals Leadership Award Honorees

African-American Credit Union Coalition

SNELLVILLE, GA, UNITED STATES, April 8, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The African-American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC) has named four exceptional emerging leaders as recipients of the 2026 Commitment to Change Young Professionals Leadership Awards, recognizing their bold, mindful, and brave leadership in advancing equity and helping eradicate racism within the credit union industry. The honorees are:

• Brave Award: Jasmine Taylor-Newton, Community & Program Coordinator-YP Liaison, Illinois Credit Union League
• Bold Award: Makala Bloise-Worthy, Director of Training and Implementation, America's First Network Credit Union
• Mindful Award: Thalia Anguiano, DEI Advisor, TruStageTM
• Young Professional of the Year Award: Jaylen Boney, Relationship Manager, Community Engagement Liaison – Virginia Market, Chartway Credit Union

Maricela Castillo, Lead Research Consultant, Multicultural Business Strategy, TruStageTM will serve as emcee for the awards ceremony taking place virtually on May 15, 2026.

“Young professionals hold a special place at AACUC,” said Renée Sattiewhite, President/CEO of AACUC. “They are not only the future of the credit union movement, but they are shaping its direction today. These honorees exemplify the courage, intentionality, and innovation required to advance equity and expand access to financial opportunity in meaningful and lasting ways.”

The biennial awards ceremony is part of AACUC’s Commitment to Change: Credit Unions Unite Against Racism initiative, which promotes the credit union 8th Cooperative Principle—Diversity, Equity and Inclusion—while advancing financial inclusion, closing the racial wealth gap, and strengthening community impact. Honorees are selected based on their embodiment of the initiative’s call to action: Be Bold. Be Mindful. Be Brave.

Jasmine Taylor-Newton is the recipient of the 2026 Commitment to Change Young Professionals Leadership Brave Award. She served at Great Lakes Credit Union for eight years in roles including Branch Manager before joining the Illinois Credit Union League in 2022 as the Young Professional Liaison. Taylor-Newton holds a master’s degree in Adult Education and Training and was recognized as a 2020 Illinois Governmental Affairs Conference Crasher and Spirit of Service Award recipient. An active industry leader, she serves as an AACUC Midwest Regional Chapter Officer and has participated in several AACUC and external programs, including the Rosemary Brinkley C-Leadership Development Program, BoardReady Training and the 1:1Woman Mentorship Program as both mentee and mentor. Outside of work, she enjoys journaling, family game nights and time with her three fur babies.

Makala Bloise-Worthy is the recipient of the 2026 Commitment to Change Young Professionals Leadership Bold Award. Bloise-Worthy is a dynamic leader and change-maker at America's First Network Credit Union, serving as Director of Training and Implementation. She empowers staff to maximize their full potential, drives innovative initiatives that transform members’ experiences and champions bold solutions that move the credit union forward. Beyond her professional role, she mentors students in the Groton Public School system and volunteers on her credit union's events committee, extending her impact to the community. Known for her collaborative spirit and audacious approach, she inspires the next generation of credit union leaders to lead with purpose, confidence, and courage.

Thalia Anguiano is the recipient of the 2026 Commitment to Change Young Professionals Leadership Mindful Award. Anguiano is a Credit Union DEI Advisor with TruStageTM, where she guides credit union leaders through their diversity, equity inclusion (DEI) learning journeys and emerging markets strategies. She earned the Credit Union Development Educator distinction in 2022 and is a Young Professionals ERG leader and Illinois Credit Union League Young Professional Advisory Committee member. Anguiano holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations and Pre-Law from Drake University and a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration from Kent State University. She is deeply committed to addressing food insecurity in Chicago by distributing groceries to hundreds of residents and equally committed to supporting immigration legal clinics.

Jaylen Boney is the recipient of the 2026 Commitment to Change Young Professionals Leadership Award, Young Professional of the Year. A graduate of Morehouse College and member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated, Boney is passionate about coaching teams and building effective, purpose-driven habits within the credit union movement. With three years of emotionally intelligent leadership experience, he is a proven change agent. At Chartway Credit Union, he serves in a dual role as the first Relationship Manager at its flagship branch and as Community Engagement Liaison for the Virginia market—a role he helped design. In this capacity, he advances strategy focused on underserved communities while mentoring peers and championing advocacy, inclusion and untapped potential. Boney is one of three credit union young professionals that was selected by The League of Credit Unions & Affiliates to represent the State of Virginia within their Emerging Professional Network (EPN) LEADs Program cohort this year.

Event details and registration information for the virtual ceremony are available at aacuc.org/events.

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About the African-American Credit Union Coalition
The AACUC is a 501c3 non-profit organization created in 1999 to increase diversity within the credit union community through advocacy and professional development. A recipient of the 2022 Anchor Award from the National Credit Union Foundation for its leadership and global efforts unifying financial industries in eradicating racism amid the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest in 2020, AACUC has become an all-encompassing organization for executives, professionals, volunteers, consultants and regulators within the financial services industry. AACUC is considered a leader in the credit union movement, adopting the 8th Cooperative Principle (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) and enabling credit unions to become more diverse and inclusive. Learn more at www.aacuc.org or on social media at Facebook.com/AACUC1, Linkedin.com/company/AACUC, X.com/AACUC1 or Instagram.com/aacucctc.

Dohnia Dorman
African-American Credit Union Coalition
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