Fred Robinson, president and CEO of the Tennessee Credit Union League, was recognized with the 2025 Eugene H. Farley League Leadership Award by the American Association of Credit Union Leagues (AACUL) during a reception held in conjunction with the Governmental Affairs Conference.
This prestigious award honors a credit union league/association president who has demonstrated visionary leadership at the state and national levels. This includes delivering superior results organizationally and financially, developing services and programs for credit unions, and focusing on cooperation within the credit union system. It also represents personal values and commitment to purpose and integrity, as well as exhibiting substantial participation as a leader and cooperator.
Fred Robison remarked how surprised, honored and grateful he was to receive the award, “I have the privilege of working with a great staff, wonderful board and supportive colleagues. Let’s always remember that we’re a movement and not an industry!”
Robinson has served as the president and CEO of the Tennessee Credit Union League since November 2012. However, Tennessee credit unions have benefited from having Robinson as part of their league for 42 years, as he has served in nearly every department at the league since he first joined in 1983.
“Fred’s dedication to the credit union movement and his ability to encourage others, listen collaboratively, share honestly and lead with kindness are admirable,” said Brad Miller, president of AACUL. “Throughout his years of service to the Tennessee Credit Union League, Fred has stood out among his peers as a leader, collaborator and innovator. His co-creation of the TRGroup is a great example: through this partnership, six state leagues work together and share resources to advance credit unions nationwide.”
Robinson’s accomplishments in Tennessee are extensive and include:
- advancing advocacy initiatives year over year to create a better operating environment for credit unions,
- achieving extremely strong financial stability for the League while maintaining one of the lowest dues amount in the country,
- helping the Shared Branching program in the state thrive, and
- developing a new compliance solution to benefit his member credit unions.
Robinson also served on many regional and national boards, including 13 years as chair of the Southeast Regional Credit Union Management School, 6 years on the CUNA board, 4 years as chair of the National Advocacy Fund (NAF) and is a director on the America’s Credit Union Board.
John Bratsakis, AACUL vice chair and MD|DC Credit Union Association president/CEO, shared about Robinson, “Fred’s career and life have been purposeful and committed to serving others with integrity. He has dedicated his life to the credit union movement and individual credit unions, ensuring every credit union has the resources they need, regardless of their size. Consistently embodying our ‘people helping people’ philosophy, Fred’s strong, humble leadership is the foundation of everything he does.”
The American Association of Credit Union Leagues (AACUL) is the national association for the state and regional credit union leagues/associations throughout the United States. AACUL’s mission is to leverage the collective power of Leagues to create advocacy wins for credit unions and build a strong network of credit union associations. We do this by providing advocacy support to yield impact, fostering collaboration and professional development for league staff, and representing the League System to America’s Credit Unions and other industry partners in order to protect and advance a vibrant credit union system.
The Tennessee Credit Union League, formed in 1934, is a 501 (c) (6) non-profit trade association for Tennessee credit unions. Its mission is to promote and support the success and advancement of credit unions in Tennessee by helping them meet their service and structural goals. For more information, visit yourleague.org.
