2025 Tekkie Award Winner for People Helping People: 1st University Credit Union

By W.B. King

One Friday morning, Shelley Carlson, EVP of marketing and relationship management at 1st University Credit Union, was picking up a chicken spaghetti meal her sister had lovingly prepared. As she was leaving, she glanced at her phone and clicked on an email from Finopotamus. She learned the $17 million Waco, Texas-based credit union, which supports more than 1,845 members, won the 2025 Finopotamus Tekkie Award for People Helping People.

“I was thrilled. It’s always validating to have your work recognized, but this award feels especially meaningful because it honors one of the founding principles of the credit union movement: People Helping People,” Carlson told Finopotamus. “That’s not just a saying for us. It’s how we work every day.”

Nominated by Gabriela Fowler, account representative at William Mills Agency, the credit union predominantly serves a low-income geographic area with many of its members facing significant financial hardship. “The credit union’s staff heard a recurring concern from members: navigating government assistance programs was confusing, overwhelming, and time-consuming,” Fowler noted. “Members were often unsure what programs existed, whether they qualified, or how to apply.”

Moving Forward with Confidence

Carlson explained that 1st University Credit Union takes a “holistic” approach to financial wellbeing, one that serves both members and the broader community.

“That means offering financial education and one-on-one coaching, helping individuals lower their expenses through programs like ‘Starlight and Dollar For,’ and ensuring our loan and deposit products are designed with our members’ best interests at heart,” she told Finopotamus. “Our goal is to meet people where they are and help them move forward with confidence.”

To better serve membership and the communities in which they live, she said the credit union is in the process of becoming Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) certified. “At 1st University Credit Union, our commitment to the ‘people helping people’ philosophy goes well beyond offering affordable loans, though we certainly do that, too,” she shared.

The credit union also receives help through partnerships with fintechs like the Atlanta-based Vertice AI, which provides marketing and artificial intelligence (AI) services, and the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Starlight, which helps financial institutions discover, qualify for, and apply to financial assistance programs.

“Both partnerships have been game-changers for us in different but complementary ways. Vertice AI helps us identify which members might need support—before they even ask for it. That insight allows us to reach out proactively, offering solutions tailored to their situation,” Carlson explained.

“Starlight, on the other hand, is all about delivering human support—connecting individuals to the government benefits they’re eligible for, many of which they didn’t even know existed,” she continued. “Together, these tools help us live out our mission of ‘people helping people’ more meaningfully and more efficiently.”

Life Changing Resources

For members facing financial stress, Carlson said they are grateful for these initiatives. “It’s powerful to see someone realize they qualify for help they didn’t know was available, and to know we played a role in that moment.” And for the credit union’s approximate eight employees, these programs have deepened their sense of purpose.

“It’s one thing to help someone open a checking account or get approved for a loan. It’s another to help them access life-changing resources. Our team takes real pride in knowing we’re not just doing transactions, we’re making a difference,” she said.

“Looking ahead to 2025, we’re excited to do more outreach across our newly expanded field of membership and to continue moving toward CDFI certification. Our goal is to keep meeting people where they are and make sure they know we’re here to help—not just with banking, but with their broader financial wellbeing,” Carlson told Finopotamus. “We may be a small credit union, but with the right partnerships and purpose-driven technology, we’re proving that size does not limit significance.”