Annual event also features announcement of new partnership with eLeadership Academy
WASHINGTON, D.C.–The Global Women’s Leadership Network (GWLN) on Wednesday welcomed credit union leaders from around the world to its annual luncheon at America’s Credit Unions’ 2025 Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC) to celebrate leadership, inclusion and global collaboration.
Attendees from El Salvador, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda and the United States gathered to connect and advance the movement for gender equity in leadership just ahead of International Women’s Day on Saturday, March 8.
The event, sponsored by Velera and TruStage, featured powerful discussions, including a fireside chat between Elissa McCarter LaBorde, President and CEO of World Council of Credit Unions, and Marisela Alvarenga, Chief Industries Officer (a.i.) at IDB Invest, which explored the impact of networking, leadership challenges and the role of financial cooperatives in driving global economic inclusion.
Through her work with IDB Invest, Alvarenga supports sustainable development in infrastructure and the financial sector in places like the Amazon, where working with credit unions and other cooperatives is essential.
“Financial inclusion is key for people to access, not only the services, but also to access opportunities, to grow and to believe that they can do something and then do it in a sustainable way. And this is what we do in terms of investments, not only with finances, but also with advising services, and we enable the environment so the people we work with can improve their lives,” said Alvarenga.
She also shared her own growth in leadership story, encouraging GWLN members to be resilient and to continue to evolve as leaders.
An exciting new partnership
GWLN also shared key updates, including a focus on expanding membership and the newly announced 2025 partnership with eLeadership Academy, reinforcing its commitment to leadership development.
“Things are going to be packaged for our Sister Society members, you can look for those announcements in the next week or so. From power hour coaching sessions to more webinars and more education and learning for our entire network, which is very, very important for GWLN,” said Eleni Giakoumopoulos, GWLN Director.
The luncheon also highlighted the leadership journey of Grace Sharon Watsiera, a 2024 GWLN Scholarship winner, who shared the value of her experiences in empowering women through financial cooperatives in Africa, including the creation of the Inclusive Citizen program.
“This is our well thought out five day initiative that offers an opportunity to carefully selected women professionals, encouraging new leadership to elevate their soft skills, confront their fears, repackage and reposition themselves as influencers,” said Watsiera, who serves as the Head of Programs and Business Development for the African Confederation of Cooperative Savings and Credit Associations (ACCOSCA), the credit union apex organization for Africa and a World Council of Credit Unions’ member organization.
As GWLN continues to grow, the event reinforces the power of global connections in shaping a more inclusive and equitable future for credit unions.
For more information about GWLN and how to get involved, visit cuwomen.org.