St. Mary’s Bank, the nation’s first credit union, recently welcomed a group of international visitors to their headquarters at 200 McGregor Street, Manchester, New Hampshire. The group is participating in the Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program, arranged by The World Affairs Council of New Hampshire. Their goal is educate participants about US financial markets in both domestic and global contexts and explain US perspectives on international economic and monetary issues.

Countries represented by this group included Albania, Azerbaijan, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Russia and Serbia. Participants are current and emerging leaders in government, politics, education and business, but all share a strong interest in learning, gaining perspective, and expanding their breadth of understanding of U.S. financial markets and the global economy.

Meeting with CEO and President, Ronald J. Covey, Jr., and Chief Administrative Officer, Don Stevens, the group had the opportunity to learn about the founding of St. Mary’s Bank, the first credit union in the United States and how the credit union movement has evolved over the past century. Over a round-table discussion, President of the New Hampshire Credit Union League, Paul Gentile, provided an overview of the credit union industry with national and state-level insights on which the group bounced questions throughout the morning. “We had a great dialogue with the participants,” said Covey, “the level of engagement and cooperative spirit in the room was reflective of the credit union philosophy “people helping people.’”

The International Visitor Leadership Program seeks to provide an opportunity for participants to experience American culture firsthand, cultivate lasting relationships and inspire leadership to address global challenges. To learn more about the IVLP, visit eca.state.gov/ivlp.