The Distinguished Service Award (DSA) is the international credit union system’s highest honor, first presented by World Council in 1986 to recognize member organizations and individuals for their outstanding contributions to credit union development outside their home country.
World Council member organizations may submit nominations in the following categories:
DSA Individual: Individuals who have provided exemplary service to the international credit union movement and have positively influenced credit union development outside their home country qualify for the individual category.
DSA Institutional: Organizations that have provided financial and technical assistance over an extended period of time to develop international credit union movements and their service infrastructure may be nominated in the institutional category.
The World Council awards committee reviews all nominations and selects the DSA recipients. Only World Council member organizations may make DSA nominations. Individuals nominated for the award should demonstrate some or all of the following:
Institutions nominated for the DSA must meet the following qualifications:
Previously nominated individuals or institutions that have not been selected may resubmit their candidature for consideration with updated documentation.
Nominations for the 2026 Distinguished Service Awards will open early next year.
2026 DSA recipients will be receive a complimentary registration to the 2026 World Credit Union Conference in Sydney, Australia, July 19-22, where they will be presented with their awards.
Steven Stapp is the CEO of Unitus Community Credit Union (Oregon – USA) and served on the WOCCU Board for seven years, the last two as Chair. His fellow WOCCU Board members from the U.S. nominated Stapp for furthering the growth of global financial cooperatives from South Korea to Brazil, Kenya to the Caribbean and beyond.
Emmanuel Darko serves as the Goodwill Ambassador for the African Confederation of Cooperative Savings and Credit Associations (ACCOSCA), which nominated him for the award. For nearly 50 years, Darko has supported the growth and development of SACCOs across Africa through his has work with partners like WOCCU.