2014 Order of Merit

Nominated by Cambrian Credit Union

Over the course of the 55 years that Ray Bauschke has served the international credit union system, he has made a significant impact on innumerable credit unions, centrals and regulatory bodies in roles as varied as employee, director and consultant. Always eager to share his knowledge as a teacher, speaker, facilitator and author, his has been a varied and rich career.

He started his credit union career as the accountant for the Credit Union League of Manitoba (1957-59), then moved on to general manager positions with Astra (1959-1963) and Co-operators, now Cambrian, (1964-1968). Early on, he was drawn to the academic — and international — aspects of the system. He is listed as a charter member and founder of the Madison-based Credit Union Executive Society (CUES), an organization dedicated to executive and director education.

From 1968 to 1971 he worked as VP of CU Services with the Minnesota League of Credit Unions (a central), then, following a two-year stint as the WHA Jets’ business manager, came back to the fold to work as a project manager with Manitoba’s Stabilization Fund, where he was responsible for shepherding a number of credit unions back to health. He spent the balance of the 1970s and into the ’80s consulting, writing and teaching. In Ontario, in addition to helping credit unions in trouble, he wrote the Deposit Guarantee Corporation’s comprehensive Sound Business and Financial Practices for Ontario Credit Unions, and conducted studies for sustainable credit union development. He taught credit union management courses for CUNA at the universities of Houston, Cornel, Notre Dame and Berkley, facilitated strategic planning, and delivered innumerable lectures, seminars and speeches in the US, UK, Canada and the Caribbean. During this time, the National Credit Union Administration (the federal credit union regulator) recommended to many credit unions in trouble that they engage Ray.

Over the course of his career, Ray wrote Credit Union Directors: A Focus on Power (1971, with Kent Francis), Credit Union Manager’s Salary Manual (1972), Credit Union Management (1973, with Kent Francis), Energize Your Volunteers (1978), The Duties, Responsibilities and Prudent Conduct of Credit Union Directors (1982) and Credit Union Success Principles (1985).

From 2004 to 2012, Bauschke served as director, first vice-chair and corporate governance committee member of Cambrian Credit Union. He was nominated for the Order of Merit award by his fellow board members, who were beneficiaries of the years of knowledge and experience Ray brought to the table.
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Ray has asked that the $1,000 bursary attached to his award go to a student in the Asper School of Business MBA Program. The recipient, Gregory Parent, is an MBA student.