OUR TEAM

Miriam De Dios, CEO
dedios@cooperaconsulting.com

As CEO, Miriam promotes Coopera’s approach to serving Hispanics throughout the credit union industry. This comprehensive approach has helped credit unions and credit union industry organizations position themselves for long-term growth by serving Hispanics. The idea of a “double bottom line,” where sustainable growth strategies are synonymous with social value is central to Coopera’s mission of partnering with people, businesses, and communities.

Miriam has significant experience working in the financial services industry, having worked with State Farm Insurance Companies and John Deere Credit. Miriam is a member of the national Network of Latino Credit Unions and Professionals and the World Council of Credit Union’s Global Women’s Leadership Network. She serves on the board of directors for various local non-profit organizations, including the Iowa International Center, Hispanic Educational Resources and Latinas para Un Nuevo Amanecer. Miriam also serves on the Leadership Committee of the Des Moines New Leaders Council, the Latino Forum of the Urban Core Financial Services Task Force and is a past board member of Des Moines’s ALIANZA Latino Business Association. She is a 2010-2011 Leadership Iowa class graduate and a Des Moines New Leaders Council fellow. Miriam also teaches English as a Second Language classes to first generation immigrants as an Adjunct Professor for Des Moines Area Community College. She graduated with honors from Iowa State University and resides in Des Moines, Iowa.

 As Vice President, Gustavo leads Coopera’s business development and sales strategies, brand awareness, product presence and revenue generation for all company products in partnership with Coopera's CEO.

Gustavo is a native of Caracas, Venezuela with more than 20 years of experience as a multicultural marketing thought leader. He has held key leadership positions in marketing, business development and operations at RR Donnelley/Banta, PSA Directo, Russ Reid, Hispanic Direct and Alaniz. In these roles, he helped Fortune 1000 companies and nonprofit organizations gain a better understanding of the Hispanic market to achieve various acquisition, retention and renewal goals for this important segment of the population.

A frequent speaker at multicultural marketing conferences, Gustavo has also published several articles about Hispanic marketing in trade publications. He is a former Chair of the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) “Directo” Council for Hispanic Marketing and founder of the Multicultural Marketing Group in the Chicago Association of Direct Marketing (CADM).

Anna Peña, Client Account Coordinator
pena@cooperaconsulting.com

Anna Peña has been a consistent advocate for the development of Hispanic families with more than five years in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. This has included the development and support of inclusive strategies, specifically for helping Hispanic families gain access to higher education and access the financial resources to make higher education a reality. She is fully proficient in Spanish with more than 10 years of language development through immersion experiences and educational opportunities. Anna is also a certified interpreter.

Anna has a Master’s of Public Administration from Drake University and received her bachelor’s degree from Luther College, where she studied Spanish, Communication and International Studies. Anna works closely with Coopera’s clients providing assessments, consulting, training, translations and assisting with the development of Hispanic consumer products.

Murray Williams, Senior Advisor
murrayw@iowacreditunions.com

Murray Williams serves as Senior Advisor to Coopera. In this role he has provided strategic counsel to the company since its inception. Murray also serves as the Chief Administrative Officer of Affiliates Management Company, Coopera’s parent company, and COO of the Iowa Credit Union League. He has been with the organizations since 1996.

Murray earned his Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation through the American Society of Association Executives, his master's degree in business from Iowa State University and also completed his bachelor's degree with honors at ISU. He has been inducted into the International Executive Volunteer Corps for the World Council of Credit Unions and sits on several community and industry committees, currently serving as Vice Chair of Credit Union National Association’s Hispanic Outreach Committee.

Pat Jury serves as the CEO/Chairman of Affiliates Management Company. In this position, he provides governance oversight as the chairman of Coopera, PolicyWorks, The Members Group and TMG Financial Services. Since 2006, Jury has served as the CEO/President of the Iowa Credit Union League. He joined the credit union movement in 1989 as vice president, government affairs and then as COO of the Iowa Credit Union League. He represents the interests of Iowa credit unions as a board director of the Credit Union National Association and the World Council of Credit Unions. In addition, he represents credit unions on the executive committee and board of directors of SHAZAM, Inc., the state’s EFT organization for financial institutions. Jury is the past president of the Iowa Society of Association Executives, formerly served as a board member of CUNA Strategic Services and was an executive committee member of the Iowa Taxpayers Association. He earned a master’s degree in public administration from Drake University, is a graduate of the Institute for Organizational Management Program at Stanford University and has achieved the Certified Association Executive Designation (CAE) from the American Society of Association Executives.

Monte Berg has served as senior vice president of finance at Veridian Credit Union for the past 18 years. From 1984 to 1990 he was an examiner with the Iowa Credit Union Division. Berg has served on the Iowa Corporate Central Credit Union board of directors since 1996 and is currently the treasurer. He served as treasurer of the Black Hawk Chapter of Credit Unions from 1993 to 1998. Berg earned his baccalaureate degree from Iowa State University and his MBA from the University of Northern Iowa. He serves on the Cedar Valley United Way Finance Committee, is a member of the Iowa Society of Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Dave Cale - CEO, Financial Plus Credit Union

Dave Cale has been with Financial Plus Credit Union since 1992 and has served as the President/CEO since 2009. He is a board member of the Iowa Credit Union League and is currently serving as vice chair. Cale also serves on ICUL’s Stabilization Fund Committee and Legislative Committee. In addition, he serves as the current chairperson of the governor-appointed State of Iowa Credit Union Review Board; as a board member for Community Business Lenders and as the treasurer on the Iowa Council of Credit Union Executives Society. Cale is involved in several community related activities including coaching girls softball and serving as a board member for the Johnston Girls Softball Association. He is a graduate of Loras College.

Tim Chapman has been with Members Community Credit Union in Muscatine since 1991 and has served as the CEO since 1996. During his time at Members Community, the credit union has grown from $14 million in assets to more than $44.7 million today. He has been a board member of the Iowa Credit Union League from 2001-2004 and again from 2008 –present and is currently serving as vice chair. Chapman also serves on ICUL’s Stabilization Fund Committee and Finance Committee. He received his bachelor’s degree in finance from Iowa State University in 1987 and is a 2001 graduate of the CUNA Management School. Chapman is active in his community serving as a Muscatine Chamber of Commerce Committee volunteer, a member of the Muscatine Financial Literacy Coalition, and involved with several school related activities.

Monica Fischer - Consultant
Monica Fischer serves as a consultant to Iowa nonprofit organizations as a representative for a private charitable foundation that provides anonymous financial investment in the human and social services sector. Prior to beginning this work in 2006, Monica served for more than 12 years in state government, including as Deputy Director of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, Communication Director for the Iowa Finance Authority and Press Secretary in the Office of the Governor. She is active with the Iowa Council of Foundations and the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines and has served on several nonprofit boards. She received her Master of Public Administration from Southern Illinois University and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Iowa.

Tom Kuehl - Consultant
Tom Kuehl has been active in the financial services industry in Iowa for more than 30 years most recently serving as president and CEO of The Members Group (TMG). He also served chief operating officer of AMC from 2008-2011 and as the president of Iowa Corporate Central Credit Union from 1981 to 2008. Before joining TMG, Kuehl worked for Postal Finance Company and First National Bank in Sioux City, Iowa. He graduated from Briar Cliff College in 1974 and served in the United States Army from 1966 to 1969.