Erin O'Hern

Senior Director, International Advocacy and Regulatory Counsel

Erin O’Hern serves as Senior Director, International Advocacy and Regulatory Counsel for the World Council of Credit Unions, where she leads international regulatory advocacy efforts on behalf of credit unions and cooperative financial institutions worldwide. In this role, Erin engages with global standard-setting bodies including the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and the Financial Action Task Force, while also supporting advocacy initiatives and regulatory engagement efforts across WOCCU member countries.

Over the past several years, Erin has played a central role in shaping WOCCU’s proactive and responsive global advocacy strategy and has contributed to many of the organization’s most significant advocacy initiatives. A sought-after speaker within the global credit union movement, she is recognized for her expertise at the intersection of financial regulation, financial inclusion and cooperative finance.

Erin brings more than 15 years of experience working on financial regulations, with a particular focus on how regulatory frameworks impact financial access and inclusion. Prior to joining WOCCU, she worked for ViClarity, an international subsidiary of three U.S. credit union leagues, where she led league-supported compliance services, provided education on emerging regulations and supported technology-related risk and compliance initiatives.

Previously, Erin led the Iowa Credit Union League’s regulatory advocacy efforts, advocating for credit unions at both the state and federal levels in the United States. Earlier in her career, she served as a staff attorney for a legal aid organization, representing clients in consumer financial protection and abuse prevention cases.

In addition to her professional work, Erin is a long-time volunteer supporting English as a Second Language (ESL) programs for new immigrants. She holds her Juris Doctor from the University of Iowa College of Law.