Zelle®-sponsored program connects military personnel, their families, and veterans with in-person and virtual education/resources
NEW YORK, NY AND ARLINGTON, VA—The BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust (BBB Institute) and the educational foundation of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus (IABBB), has announced members of the Military & Veterans Initiative Advisory Board. This advisory board’s initial focus will be on guiding the development of a program to educate our Nation’s active-duty military, veterans, and their families about safely navigating the marketplace, and to empower their financial security. The program is sponsored by Zelle® in partnership with the Association of Military Banks of America (AMBA).
Through this year-long “train-the-trainer” program, BBB Institute will prepare a select cohort to deliver in-person and virtual training to military families and veterans across the U.S. The goal is to help veterans, service members, and their families navigate real-life financial situations and plan for their future. Trainers for this program will include community outreach professionals from local U.S. BBBs as well as credit counselors from the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) and Accredited Financial Counselors from the Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education® (AFCPE). The train-the-trainer program is expected to launch in Q3 2024.
The program’s curriculum is tailored to the military and veteran community with guidance from subject matter experts serving on the BBB Military & Veterans Initiative Advisory Board. Members include:
- Kris McBride, Chief Operating Officer, Air Force Aid Society
- Eldon Mullis, COO, Army Emergency Relief
- Valerie Richards, Education Programs Manager, Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education®
- Andia Dinesen, EVP – Communications & Operations, Assoc. of Military Banks of America
- Shelley Polansky, CEO, Better Business Bureau-Northern Colorado/Wyoming
- Fredlena Cosby, Marketing & Communications Manager, Better Business Bureau-SE VA/NE NC
- Jason Wong, COO, Coast Guard Mutual Assistance
- Edward Carr, Military Affairs, Comcast NBCUniversal
- Shay Cook, Financial Readiness Manager, FINRA Investor Education Foundation
- Tara Alderete, Director Enterprise Learning, National Foundation for Credit Counseling
- Tammy Barlet, VP Government Affairs, Student Veterans of America
- Monica Rivera, Chief-Stakeholder Engagement & Organizational Change Mgmt., U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs
- Ben Chance, Chief Fraud Risk Management Officer, Zelle®
- Nolan Ashton, Senior Partnerships Manager, Zelle®
More information about the Military & Veterans Initiative can be found on the BBB Institute website.
About BBB
The Better Business Bureau has empowered people to find businesses, brands, and charities they can trust for over 110 years. In 2023, people turned to BBB more than 218 million times for BBB Business Profiles on 5.3 million businesses, and 80,000 times for BBB charity reports on about 12,000 charities, for free at BBB.org. The International Association of Better Business Bureaus is the umbrella organization for the local, independent BBBs in the United States and Canada.
About the BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust
The BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust (BBB Institute) is the educational foundation of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus. The organization’s mission is to educate and protect consumers, promote best practices for businesses, and solve complex marketplace problems. BBB Institute’s consumer educational programs, which include a wide array of resources on fraud prevention and education, are delivered digitally and in person by BBBs serving communities across the United States and Canada. You can find more information about BBB Institute and its programs at BBBMarketplaceTrust.org.
About Zelle®
Zelle® is transforming how money moves, with more than five billion digital payments sent since its launch in 2017. The Zelle Network® connects more than 2,100 bank and credit union brands of all sizes, enabling consumers and businesses to send digital payments to people and businesses they know and trust with an eligible bank account in the U.S. Money is available directly in bank accounts generally within minutes when the recipient is already enrolled with Zelle®. To learn more about Zelle® and participating financial institutions in the Zelle Network®, visit www.zellepay.com. Zelle® is brought to you by Early Warning Services, LLC, an innovator in payment and risk management solutions.
About the Association of Military Banks of America
The Association of Military Banks of America (AMBA) was founded in 1959. AMBA is a not-for-profit association of banks operating on military installations, banks not located on military installations but serving military customers, and military banking facilities designated by the U.S. Treasury. The association’s membership includes both community banks and large multinational financial institutions, all of which are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.