The Utah Credit Union Hall of Fame was erected to recognize the important contributions of individuals to the credit union industry. Induction to the hall of fame recognizes recipients as leaders at their credit unions, in Utah, and across the country–as individuals who have struck a cord and made a significant difference in the promotion of the credit union philosophy.
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Wayne Barnes began his career in credit unions at Geneva Federal Credit Union in 1968. As a young man in his twenties, he started in the collection department and ten years later was promoted to president and chief executive officer. Geneva Federal Credit Union was the third largest in Utah.
In 1982, Wayne was named president of Corporate Central Credit Union of Utah. He was hired to lead the Corporate out of difficult financial times. His leadership, innovation, and commitment created a solid organization that later became Rocky Mountain Corporate Credit Union. Through perseverance and hard work, Wayne developed the share draft processing program, making it possible for Utah credit unions to use Corporate—instead of a bank—to deposit and process members’ share drafts.
In addition to the share draft program, Wayne was steadfast in making sure the Corporate met credit union investment and liquidity needs. He ensured the successful implementation of all new technology at Corporate, which was one of the first to have Internet image access, allowing Utah credit unions to view their checks online. As a direct result of Wayne’s efforts and dedication, he helped grow the item processing center in Utah from serving just one single credit union in 1985, to where it is now: processing share drafts for all but two credit unions in the state.
As a credit union employee and president, Wayne was involved in many League committees, and was an active fundraiser for CULAC. In the corporate network, he served on various US Central Committees, worked to organize the Association of Corporate Credit Unions (ACCU), and was a member of its first executive committee.
Time and time again, Wayne proved that he would tackle any job if it meant helping credit unions succeed. He served as president of Rocky Mountain Corporate Credit Union for 19 years. He helped engineer a successful merger with SunCorp in 2001, facilitating greater benefit to credit unions.
Wayne Barnes is a man of vision, hard work, and dedication. He has left a lasting mark on the credit union movement. For well over 30 years, he has turned a love of credit unions into a career that benefitted countless credit union members.
