Global Women’s Leadership Network (GWLN) is one of the original diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives established in 2009 by the World Council of Credit Unions to provide women in the credit union arena a safe forum to discuss issues to further their professional and personal journeys.

The purpose is to convene credit union women, discuss credit union issues, exchange ideas, network with neighboring credit union leaders and provide education to share lessons learned with Network members worldwide.

Sue Mitchell served as the Founding Volunteer Chair for GWLN from 2009-2021.

In 2009, Brian Branch, former President and CEO of World Council of Credit Unions, asked Susan Mitchell, CEO of Mitchell, Stankovic & Associates, to become the chair to help World Council build GWLN by working with volunteers worldwide. 

Sue Mitchell worked with an initial advisory committee and staff to grow GWLN and its visibility, advance the mission of GWLN and promote interaction among national and international credit union leaders--women and men. She raised awareness of the need to advance women in leadership and connected volunteers, industry partners, and credit union advocates. She helped establish the first Sister Societies in the US and internationally. 

Her passion and commitment has made a difference in the lives of thousands of credit union women around the world!!

The World Council sponsored the first Global Women's Leadership Network meeting on April 11, 2012 in San Francisco, California. The meeting was held at Patelco Credit Union supported by Colleen O'Grady (Board Member, Patelco Credit Union) and Linda White (CEO, United Health Credit Union).

Tie Your Pink On is GWLN's campaign concept that Joe Schroeder, CEO of Ventura County Credit Union and Kim Hester, EVP of CO-OP Financial Services suggested to engage all genders in the network. The pink tie demonstrates support for the Network; regardless of gender, culture or affiliation, people all over the globe are actively involved with the Network and are spreading the work about the difference it is making in people’s lives.

Throughout 2012, GWLN saw an increase in not only U.S based Sister Societies, but also on an international scale. During that year, GWLN saw launches occur in Canada, Fiji, Jamaica and Malawi. This ignited that idea that Sister Societies can meet regionally to discuss important issues impacting local credit union women leaders and to build local cooperative projects.

Our Asian Sister Society leaders have come together in numbers to expand the network in their region. They have successfully reached a grand total of over 2,000 chapter attendees attending 36 Sister Societies all across Asia. With their help, GWLN has launched multiple Sister Societies in India, Nepal, Philippines, Indonesia and counting!

The Global Women’s Leadership Network celebrated its 10^th anniversary by announcing the launch of its new mobile app to members and supporters at the annual GWLN Breakfast at GAC.

GWLN met its goal of establishing 100 Sister Societies by the end of 2019. With the help of both US and International leaders, GWLN was connecting with 100 Sister Societies in 21 countries and 6 continents. The network met with 1,500 individuals through various sister society meetings in 2019.

With the assistance of the Africa Confederation of Co-operative Savings and Credit Associations (ACCOSCA), new GWLN Sister Societies have been established in:

• Eswatini (formerly Swaziland);
• Ghana;
• Kenya;
• Nigeria;
• The Gambia

A whirlwind of events occurred throughout the year, pivoting many to a virtual setting. GWLN members, leaders and supporters alike came together in order to engage, inspire and empower those around them… virtually. The network saw an overall increase in engagement through our virtual spaces, as we saw many Sister Society members attending other Sister Society meetings thousands of miles away, yet safety in their homes.

More than 500 members and supporters of GWLN from over 30 countries welcomed a new volunteer chair and recognized one of the group’s emerging leaders at its first virtual breakfast celebration held in conjunction with Credit Union National Association’s (CUNA) Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC).

For the first time ever, GWLN awarded eight scholarships to industry women, allowing them to join the Network and gain opportunities for professional development, networking and skill diversification. Receipients represented Africa, Asia and the US. Thanks to the increased donations received by GWLN supporters in 2021, GWLN was able to increase the learning opportunities made available to scholars and double the number of recipients. 

Scholarships are made possible through fundi2ng from annual membership donations and sponsorships, including the generous support of CO-OP Financial Services, CUNA Mutual Group, PSCU and the Susan Adams Scholarship Fund supported by One AZ Credit Union.