CFDD Seattle Chapter – A Historical Perspective
Many, many moons, and no gray hairs ago, I went to a lien law seminar because I needed the education for my job. It was sponsored by some group using all of these initials (what’s with all those letters anyway?) and I couldn’t make sense of them. After the seminar, I approached the moderator and asked her “What is NACM-CFDD?” Her eyes lit up with sparkles and she smiled deeply as she prepared to answer me, and I knew right then and there that whatever CFDD was, it was exciting and that I wanted to be a part of it.
In order to answer “What is NACM-CFDD?”, we must first journey into the history and why it even exists in the first place. So, let’s embark on an interesting historical story together…
In 1896, the “National Association of Credit Men” was originally founded to accommodate the business needs of commercial credit managers by offering a creditor’s trade forum in a legally monitored venue. Two local associations were then formed in Western Washington. The first, “Seattle Merchant’s Association” was founded in 1899, which changed to “Seattle Association of Credit Men” in 1928. And the second, “Tacoma Association of Credit Men” was founded in 1905. At the turn of the century, only men were members of these associations, and this is a very important historical fact.
Although women had been entering the commercial credit management workforce, especially during the 1920’s, there wasn’t a professional venue available to them. So in 1929 “Seattle Credit Women” was founded to locally serve the educational, financial and networking needs of women in the business credit profession. We later became a member chapter of “National Credit Women”, which was originally founded in 1925 to serve as a national venue for women in commercial credit.
The 1970’s wrought many changes in fair business practices between the genders, including changing the name of the “National Association of Credit Men” to the “National Association of Credit Management” (NACM National) in 1972. That same year “Seattle Association of Credit Men” merged with “Tacoma Association of Credit Men” to locally become the “National Association of Credit Management-Western Washington-Alaska” (NACM-WWA).
By the early 1980’s, our “Seattle Credit Women” group recognized that both genders needed education, financial assistance and networking events, and so opened their doors to allow all commercial professionals, men and women, the opportunity to become members.
In 1989 the “National Credit Women’s Executive Committee” and their member chapters unanimously agreed to become a division of the “National Association of Credit Management” (NACM), and therefore changed our local and national names to become the “Credit and Financial Development Division of NACM” (CFDD).
Our Seattle CFDD chapter has seen many members achieve key accomplishments within the credit profession. Alice M.H. McGregor was the first woman to become Chairman of our local affiliate, NACM-WWA in 1978, and the first woman in the United States to obtain her A.B.C.E. (now known as the C.C.E.) in 1979. She additionally was the first member from our chapter to be named NACM National Chairman of the Board in 1989. In 1981 Leola G. Miller, CCE, was the first member from our Seattle Chapter to be named CFDD National Chairman of the Board. And In 2005 Sherry Wood, CCE, became the second Seattle CFDD member to be named as NACM National Chairman of the Board.
In the 1970’s in promotion of education in business credit, our Seattle chapter sponsored two students at the University of Washington as part of a program to promote credit management as a career. Our local NACM affiliate has since installed college level CAP & ACAP courses to meet these educational needs, while our chapter sponsors specialty seminars twice a year, along with the Pacific NW Credit Conference when it returns to Seattle every 6 years.
“Seattle Credit Women” originally met at the Washington Athletic Club in downtown Seattle for many years. Then over time they moved to the Roosevelt Hotel, the Edgewater Hotel, the Meany Tower, the Lake Union Harborside Restaurant in the AGC building, and finally to the Lake Union Rock Salt Restaurant in 2007.
Today’s members of CFDD-Seattle Chapter or CFDD-South Puget Sound Chapter can truly thank their current and past leaders for having obtained the greatest relationship with our local NACM affiliate “NACM-WWAH” (Seattle). Through shared projects and understanding we all reward in educational growth, scholarship funds, conference attendance, and a reciprocal relationship.