Kristi Longoria of San Mateo Credit Union in Redwood City Honored

Kristi Longoria, financial education administrator with San Mateo Credit Union in Redwood City, was among those honored recently at the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues’ REACH Conference.

Longoria received the Leagues’ Tomorrow’s Star Award, which recognizes the achievements by young credit union professionals age 35 and under. She was honored during the annual meeting and convention for the Ontario, CA-based trade association for the two states, held Oct. 27-30 at the Monterey Conference Center in Monterey, CA.

In her role at the credit union, Longoria is responsible for tailoring and delivering financial education to high school students and the most vulnerable populations in the communities that San Mateo Credit Union serves.

She also created several programs to teach people of all ages about personal finance and budgeting. In 2016, she created the credit union’s flagship Making Change Program for local high schools—an eight-week, in-class education series for high school students to teach about the credit union difference, banking basics, scholarship writing, and financial aid information. The program culminates in a Bite of Reality event—where local credit union partners are invited to participate. Over the last three years, she has delivered this program to hundreds of students at eight local high schools.

In addition to the classroom curriculum development and delivery, Longoria collaborates with local community colleges and assists local high schools with their Financial Aid Nights, where schools invite families to fill out the financial aid applications. She also serves on the San Mateo County Office of Education Super Team committee.

“This awards means to me that we’re on the right track when it comes to bringing financial wellness and awareness to generations across the board. I’m excited about credit unions continuing to become synonymous with financial health but there’s still a lot more work to do,” Longoria said.