Featured in GreenMoney: Leading with Culture and Capital at Clean Energy Credit Union
In the article “Leading with Culture and Capital at the Clean Energy Credit Union,” published in GreenMoney Journal, Chief Executive Officer Terri Mickelsen details how blending values-driven leadership with targeted capital can make financial institutions a force for environmental sustainability and economic equity.
Drawing on her upbringing in a low-income household in New Mexico and the lessons of her immigrant grandmother, Mickelsen explains how her lived experience as a Latina CEO shapes her commitment to eliminating barriers in traditional banking.
We are incredibly proud to be featured by Green Money in a national spotlight highlighting our mission based Credit Union.
Central to the credit union’s mission is its clean-energy capital recycling model, which ensures member deposits exclusively fund eco-friendly solutions like solar installations, geothermal systems, electric vehicles, green home upgrades and other clean energy loans.
Mickelsen frames high energy burdens as an issue of economic justice that heavily affects low- and moderate-income families and communities of color. To widen access, the credit union partners with state programs and specialized organizations to extend affordable loans to underserved borrowers. Since its inception, the national online credit union has scaled from a three-person startup into an institution managing nearly $130 million in assets, serving over 13,500 members, with more than 40 employees.
As a Certified B Corporation, the Clean Energy Credit Union rejects predatory practices—such as overdraft and non-sufficient funds fees that disproportionately harm financially vulnerable members—and instead focuses on long-term stability for its members while providing fully employer-paid healthcare for its staff.
Looking ahead, Mickelsen envisions expanding capital toward climate-disaster recovery, green workforce development, and small business entrepreneurship to foster local wealth and long-term resilience.