With an Emphasis on Belonging, Peak Credit Union Embodies the Values of the CUES John Pembroke Catalyst for Change Award

Long before the term DEI came into mainstream usage, credit unions were known for reaching out into the community to provide financial services for all. True to the roots of this cooperative model, Peak Credit Union has put the tenets of belonging and connectedness at the center of everything it does. This approach has fostered an organizational culture that has led to positive outcomes in the community and a welcoming environment for employees, making Peak a worthy recipient of the 2025 John Pembroke Catalyst for Change Award.

Formed through a strategic merger in 2023 between two similar-size credit unions in the Pacific Northwest, Peak rebranded within the last year using the message, “Built for You. Built for Belonging.” Receiving the CUES honor so soon after the rebranding was a thrill for the team at Peak, as it validates their work in alignment with the ideals of the award’s namesake, the late CUES President/CEO John Pembroke who was passionate about advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the credit union movement.

“I was happy to see the team get an early win,” said President/CEO David Tuyo. “Credit unions across the United States are doing fantastic things, so for us to be recognized for our intentional work and the outcomes we’ve achieved through best practices is very rewarding.”

A Heritage of Belonging

The belonging culture that defines Peak Credit Union builds upon the work of its two predecessor organizations that were based in Washington and Oregon respectively. Under its new brand identity, Peak has leveraged the combined resources of the previous credit unions to reach $4.4 billion in assets, 270,000 members, and 35 branches across the two states with its headquarters in Olympia, Washington.

“Our credit union can trace our heritage back to1938 as a member-owned cooperative, and we continue to lean into that cooperative model,” Tuyo said. “For us, ‘Built for Belonging’ is more than just a tagline. It is a recognition of where we came from, the roots from which we’ve grown, those who came before us, and those of us who now have the unbelievable blessing of building upon what they built. Generation after generation, the team expands upon what’s been accomplished over the past 88 years.”

In keeping with its purpose of providing opportunities for financial empowerment and independence, Peak ensures that its impact extends to those who are often overlooked by other financial institutions. “Our main goal is to serve everyone along the economic spectrum, no matter where they may fall,” Tuyo said. “That means having the capabilities and competencies and building the strategies to give everyone a chance for financial empowerment. Those are the things our team does exceptionally well and will continue to work on going forward.”

Peak has a mission to invest in people and champion success, which is coupled with a vision of building communities where all feel financially secure and empowered to reach their financial dreams. “We work to achieve our mission and vision through our core values of authenticity, boldness, collaboration, dignity, empathy, and you see that play out on any given day,” Tuyo said. “Our goals for the future are ambitious, but what separates us from the rest of the world is how we empower our employees. We are transforming into a player-led organization, breaking free of the chains of the hierarchical top-down strategy that plagues many mature industries. We try to make sure that we are leading with an approach that is bottom up, not top down.”

An Evolutionary Approach

Tuyo cited the leadership of Ashley Lax, VP of Transformation & Organizational Effectiveness, as being instrumental to advancing Peak’s culture of belonging. With Lax leading the effort over the past four years, belonging has become central to Peak’s identity.

“Belonging started as an initiative, but now it is more of a mindset,” Lax said. “It has become foundational to how our brand is showing up for members, how we interact with the community, and how we craft our products and services to best serve their needs. It’s not just a strategy but an integral part of who we are.”

Lax’s change in job titles exemplifies how Peak has evolved in terms of its approach to DEI principles.  She came to the credit union as director of DEI, but her duties soon expanded to encompass training and professional development. She has held her current title since December 2025, serving as a leader for the team that has taken DEI and belonging to the next level.

The DEI team also has evolved during that timeframe, focusing more broadly on aspects of improving member service. To address belonging specifically, Peak has a council called the Belonging Builders, consisting of 20 employees from various levels and areas of the organization. “That’s the group that does a lot of the formal DEI/belonging work now,” Lax said. “Their role is to help identify priorities and bridge the gap between where we are with member service and where we want to be in terms of empowering all.”

The council values input and feedback from the overall organization. “For instance, If someone has an idea for a program that has a lens of belonging, the council will review the idea and determine what would be needed to support this program,” Lax said. “This relates back to our player-led culture, where we take the ideas and feedback of our employees seriously.”

Beyond the work of the council, Lax stressed that belonging is a component that is broadly considered throughout the organization. “We incorporate belonging into all the work we do,” Lax said. “So, ‘How does it show up in lending? How does it show up in community outreach? How does it show up in all the ways we do business with our members?’ Initially it was the work of one team, but now it’s an organization-wide effort.”

Belonging in the Community

Peak’s work to promote belonging is evident in many of its products and services as well as its community outreach programs. One of the credit union’s priorities is to provide financial literacy education at schools and elsewhere in the communities it serves. To expand its reach, Peak recently added a Spanish-language version of the program to reach Hispanic or Latino residents who either don’t speak English or speak English as a second language.

Additionally, Peak is helping those who were not born in this country with a program that allows them to use their individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) to apply for a loan. “ITIN lending is an opportunity for us to help individuals who don’t have a Social Security number but have legally accessed our country and need help building their financial stability,” Lax explained.

As a low-income designated (LID) credit union, Peak is working hard to meet the needs of those who fall under the low-income definition of earning 80% or less than the median family income for their area. Members who fit this definition are also part of the ALICE demographic, with the acronym referring to households that are Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.

“ALICE households make up over half of Oregon’s population and nearly half of Washington’s population,” Tuyo said. “Serving this demographic is something we’re very passionate about in our organization. If you look at our branch network, many of our branches are in underserved areas, whether it’s the outside Portland area or south Tacoma. Our team is there to serve these underserved areas and is doing great work helping our members.”

Peak also is making a community impact through the work of PeakCU Foundation. Established in 2015, the foundation has given to worthwhile organizations and causes with a focus on erasing school lunch debt, ending childhood hunger, and teaching financial literacy. In 2025, the foundation approached nearly $1 million in give-back to the community.

Lax praised the foundation for funding incredible projects. “As an example, last year the foundation helped purchase a book vending machine for an elementary school in Onalaska, Washington,” she shared. “The teachers have tokens, and when the students do something above and beyond the ordinary, they earn a token they can put into the vending machine to get a book.”

This project was especially impactful because Onalaska, with a population of less than 1,000 people, doesn’t have an in-town library. “This is a case of bringing something to the table that many places take for granted,” Tuyo said. “It’s just one example of the impact we have in communities throughout the Northwest.”

Belonging Among Employees

Peak’s commitment to belongingness extends to the work culture it has established for its nearly 750 employees. What’s especially noteworthy about Peak’s workforce is that it’s overwhelming remote, with employees located in nearly 40 states across the country. Lax is one of those remote employees, working full-time from her home in Charlotte, N.C.

“With the exception of our retail team, everybody works remotely,” Tuyo said. “Most employees work from home full-time, though there also are a few positions—but less than 20—that are formally hybrid.” As president, Tuyo works a hybrid schedule, working from home, in the corporate office, and visiting branches on a regular basis.

This remote work format has made it essential for Peak to put mechanisms in place to help employees avoid isolationism and connect across the miles. “There are many advantages of having a remote workforce, but it’s not for the faint of heart,” Tuyo said. “That’s why many companies have returned to an in-person or hybrid workforce since COVID. Fortunately, we continue to operate successfully in this remote world, and it has helped create a culture of gratitude. I think our team genuinely enjoys working at Peak. Part of the reason is because of the remote work environment and the freedom it provides. But we can’t overlook how important it is to connect with each other as people, as human beings. We’re trying to lean into that more and more.”

One way these connections are established is through employee resource groups that have been formed by people with common interests and/or identities. Among the ERGs that are thriving at Peak are women in business, LGBTQ+, 50-plus, Hispanic culture, and parents and caretakers. These ERGs are employee-driven and employee-led groups that set their own goals, initiatives, and activities.

“All of them were started by individuals who felt passionate about building a community where their identities could be supported, celebrated, and recognized,” Lax said. “One of the biggest goals we have with ERGs is to help employees come together and find space for themselves. That takes different forms based on their interests.”

Most of the ERG activities are virtual to facilitate remote participation, but there are also hybrid and in-person events. Some examples include a virtual/in-person mocktail party organized by the 50-plus group and a virtual tour of historic Hispanic sites organized by the Hispanic ERG, ¡Unidos!  “We lean heavily into the virtual aspect, but anytime that we can meet in person, we take advantage of that as well,” Lax said.

Peak also has a group known as EPIC, which stands for Engaging, Positive, and Impactful Celebrations. “This is another employee-led group, which stays tapped into the needs of employees through intentional support,” Lax said. As the name implies, the group focuses primarily on recognition and celebrations. They’ve sponsored several in-person events, including inviting employees and their families to attend minor-league baseball games in Washington and Oregon.

There are also informal opportunities that allow employees to connect. For instance, Lax participates in a group of chess enthusiasts who play one another online from wherever they may live. “There’s a little bit of meet-and-greet in the local areas, but even the remote folks can participate,” she said.

Tuyo revels in the moments in which employees make connections despite the miles that separate them. “For instance, Ashley has this reputation for kicking off meetings with these really corny but hilarious dad jokes,” he shared. “It lightens the mood without taking away the focus on the work that needs to get done. It’s a small thing, but those types of humanistic interactions help us connect to one another as teammates.”

Advice for Other Credit Unions

For credit unions that have yet to make headway with DEI and/or belonging initiatives, Tuyo advised putting mechanisms in place that will allow you to measure your results and determine what is having the greatest impact. “We benchmark as much as we can with publicly available data so that we can understand where we are and what progress we are making,” he said.

Given the negative commentary that has swirled around the DEI acronym, Tuyo and Lax recommended that credit unions stay true to their mission of serving the diverse needs of their communities and avoid getting bogged down by terminology.

“I think it’s important to remove the trendiness of whatever acronyms or words people are using to call the work,” Lax said. “Before DEI, it was affirmative action. Before that, it was civil rights. We’ve always had efforts where we support and uplift people, and when we get away from some of the trendiness and focus on the foundation of what we’re supposed to be doing as a credit union cooperative, it becomes less political and controversial. It becomes more about how we can better serve our members and take care of our communities, and that’s how the work becomes more accessible to everyone.”

On a similar note, Tuyo encouraged credit unions to move forward with the work in a way that is consistent with their identity. “At Peak, we use terminology that aligns with our mission, vision, and values. That’s why we use words like building and belonging because that’s what we do and who we are. That will move you away from the weaponization and politicization around a few letters of the alphabet. We want to create a great company, and we plan to do that in a way that is uniquely Peak.”

Based in Missouri, Diane Franklin is a longtime contributor to CU Management.