NPC member receives top award from Consumer Federation of America

National Press Club member Larry Blanchard received the highest civilian honor from the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) at the organization's 42nd annual awards dinner June 15.

The large, Washington-based consumer group gave Blanchard the 2012 Esther Peterson Consumer Service Award, named in honor of the lifelong consumer advocate who served in the administrations of Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and Jimmy Carter.

Blanchard retired in 2008 as senior vice president of corporate and legislative affairs for CUNA Mutual Group, an insurance firm that provides financial services to credit unions, cooperatives and their customers. He currently is a senior consultant for the company.

Also honored at the dinner were U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Oreg.),a member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Consumer Affairs Committee; Brooksley E. Born, former chairperson, Commodity Futures Trading Commission; Betty Furness, former actress and consumer advocate; and Marketplace, a radio program on business.

Blanchard was vice president of communications in the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Washington office in the late 1980s early 1990s before joining CUNA Mutual.

He previously received awards from the National Credit Union Foundation and several other credit union organizations, as well as CUNY Mutual. He was inducted into the National Cooperative Business Association Hall of Fame in 2010.