Redwood Credit Union CEO Receives Advocate of the Year Award

Redwood Credit Union (RCU) President and CEO Brett Martinez received an Advocate of the Year award from the California Credit Union League (CCUL), the state trade association for credit unions. He was honored during CCUL’s annual meeting and convention at the Cosmopolitan hotel in Las Vegas in early November.

The award recognizes Mr. Martinez’s support and advocacy of the State Charter Modernization bill, one of the credit union industry’s most important achievements of 2016, as the state charter had not been updated in over a decade. Known as Assembly Bill 2274, the legislation enables credit unions to better serve members by staying aligned with modern financial industry practices.

As chairman of the State Charter Review Committee, Mr. Martinez worked with his peers to identify issues and tailor those into a single piece of legislation. He also supported the League’s state lobbyists by providing insight and guidance throughout the entire process.

Mr. Martinez has more than 30 years of credit union experience. Prior to joining RCU in 2002, he served as senior executive for both the California Credit Union League and a large Southern California credit union.

In addition to his role at RCU, Mr. Martinez currently serves as treasurer on the executive committee of the board of directors for the Credit Union National Association (CUNA), the credit union industry’s national trade association. He is also past chairman of the board of the California Credit Union League, the credit union industry’s California and Nevada trade association, and is a current member on several League committees. Brett served on the Western CUNA Management School Board of Trustees, and is a Board member of Credit Union Direct Lending. He is the Fundraising Coordinator for Credit Union for Kids in the Bay Area—a credit union organization that supports Children’s Miracle Network hospitals.