Awards and Scholarships

Nominations are limited to those who have taken credit unions beyond traditional philanthropy and good corporate citizenship. Achievements may relate to:

• Credit union projects, programs, services or policies addressing one particularly pressing social, environmental, sustainability and/or economic problem in a local community where other agencies or financial institutions have not been willing or able to help; or
• Using a credit union to promote community self-help projects or to work with under-served individuals or groups; or
• A focus on the use of credit unions for providing sustainability/socially responsible investments, banking programs, products and services to members and communities.

All nominees must be a credit union member and a current or past director, volunteer, manager or employee.

When completing the nomination package, please describe how your nominee met, or meets, one or more of the above mentioned criteria. Please provide as much detailed information as you can.

Dorothy Watson dedicated 37 years of her career to the credit union system. It was by serendipitous chance for the credit union movement, that a temp agency placed Dorothy at Co-operative Trust Company of Canada (now Concentra) and lit up a career path leading change for the system.Over the course of nearly 4 decades, Dorothy led change in the system from all angles including at the helm of Ottawa Women’s Credit Union as the General Manager before she was recruited to Credit Union Central of Ontario. After successfully overseeing several departments including Human Resources, Credit Union Training, and Marketing, Dorothy found a focus that would grow to fuel her drive for the duration of her career: fostering a service excellence culture. With Dorothy leading consultation with credit unions and managing this change journey across CUCO, they more than doubled member approval ratings in just two years.

Ever since, she has been elevating the member voice, seeking to understand their diverse perspectives, and championing new collaborative opportunities for the system in a member relations role. Dorothy built a high level of trust with credit unions across Ontario. No matter the role or conversation, she was always guided by the cooperative principles and values that keep us all rooted and connected to a deeper purpose.

Dorothy has always so generously shared her insightful perspectives gathered through a career dedicated to furthering the impact and reach of the credit union movement. To ensure the enduring impact that is Dorothy’s career legacy, a bursary fund has been created in her name. The Dorothy Watson CYL Bursary fund supports the emerging leaders that are advancing the cooperative system.