Richard Turnley
Treasurer for the Southern Teachers & Parents Federal Credit Union
CEO/Manager
Richard “Dick” Turnley has been the CEO/Manager and Treasurer for the Southern Teachers & Parents Federal Credit Union since 1959. Southern Teachers & Parents Federal Credit Union is the oldest black-owned financial institution in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
It is a $30.1 million financial institution. In 1972, he entered electoral politics and was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives where he served until 1984 when he was elected to the Louisiana Senate. He immediately became involved in rewriting and sponsoring legislation to benefit Louisiana’s citizens.
Turnley’s career in finance began as an Accounting instructor at Southern University and A & M College. During the 1960s, Turnley partnered with Mr. J.K. Haynes in organizing and providing technical support to credit unions in parish school systems throughout the state of Louisiana. Turnley assisted newly formed credit unions with establishing financial and operational procedures.
Turnley was elected Vice-President of the Louisiana Credit Union League, and CUNA Mutual Statewide Policy Owners’ Council representative. He is a member of the Louisiana Corporate Credit Union Supervisory Committee, and a former member of the Louisiana League’s Legal and Legislative Committee as well as CUNA’s Accounting and Financial Reporting Open Committee, and CUNA’s Political Action Committee.
In 1995, the World Council of Credit Unions selected Turnley and a few others to participate in the “People to People” program which took him on a trip to South Africa to provide technical assistance to the South Africa Credit Union League, and the University of the Western Cape. Subsequent trips to South Africa were made in 1996 at which time he chaired a group of African-American Credit Union professionals to evaluate and assist in the growth and development of the credit union movement. In 1997, he served as a training facilitator for six (6) South African Credit Union professionals.