05/23/2026
I'm really going to miss Kathy Chartier.
Some people leave behind accomplishments.
Some leave titles, awards, and professional success.
And then there are the rare people who leave behind something far more meaningful: beloved community.
That was Kathy Chartier.
What I will miss most about Kathy was not simply what she did, but who she was. Her humanity. Her deep care for others. Her unwavering belief that people mattered and that communities become stronger when we truly see, support, and stand up for one another.
Kathy built community everywhere she went. She built it at home with family and friends. She built it through her service in the local community. She built it within the credit union movement locally, nationally, and even globally. And she built it quietly, consistently, person by person, relationship by relationship.
She had a way of making people feel valued and heard. She believed in people, especially during moments when they struggled to believe in themselves. Kathy understood that leadership was never about position or recognition. It was about lifting others up, creating opportunity, and leaving people better than you found them.
Over the last ten years, I had the privilege of working closely with Kathy, and I can honestly say they were the best years of my 41-year credit union career. Not because the work was always easy, but because Kathy helped remind all of us why the work mattered.
I learned so much from her.
I learned perseverance during difficult times.
I learned hope and optimism when circumstances felt uncertain.
I learned the importance of standing up for others, especially those without a voice.
And I learned that real leaders never stop learning, growing, and challenging themselves to become better human beings.
Kathy carried herself with courage and grace, including through her battle with cancer. Even in difficult moments, her focus so often remained on others rather than herself. That was simply who she was.
The credit union movement talks often about “people helping people,” but Kathy truly lived it. Not as a slogan, but as a daily commitment.
I feel incredibly blessed that our paths crossed and that I had the opportunity to call Kathy my friend. Her influence on my life, and on so many others, will continue long after her passing.
The communities Kathy built will continue because of the seeds she planted in others. Her kindness, compassion, courage, and conviction live on in the people she inspired.
And for that, I will always be grateful.
