Building a Stronger Voice for Credit Unions: TAPCO Credit Union’s Justin Martin Wins Summit Advocate Award

Posted by Alyse Knudsen on October 28, 2026

TAPCO Credit Union President and CEO Justin Martin accepting the 2026 Summit Advocate Award

For Justin Martin, President and CEO of TAPCO Credit Union, advocacy is about ensuring credit unions can continue to meet the needs of the people and communities they serve. With more than 20 years of involvement in the Credit Union Movement and nearly 70 in-person advocacy events attended since 2020, Martin has made it a priority to build relationships with policymakers, bring more voices into the conversation and demonstrate the value of the cooperative model. At the GoWest Awards and Gala on Oct. 9 during MAXX, he received the Summit Advocate Award in recognition of his sustained commitment to advocacy and his ability to inspire others to get involved.

Martin sees advocacy as an ongoing responsibility, not a task reserved for legislative sessions or moments when credit unions face a threat. As co-chair of the Washington Governmental Affairs Committee (GAC), he works alongside GoWest and credit union colleagues to ensure lawmakers understand how credit unions serve their communities. His approach combines thoughtful engagement with practical examples of credit union impact, helping policymakers connect legislative decisions to the people those decisions affect.

Making the Case for Credit Unions

Martin was a key voice in responding to a significant threat to Washington credit unions: efforts to challenge their tax status. By engaging with legislators and explaining the role credit unions play in their communities, he helped bring a measured, fact-based perspective to the discussion. He has built strong relationships with elected officials, including the Speaker of the House, and regularly hosts policymakers at TAPCO to show how the credit union’s work translates into meaningful community outcomes.

(L-R) Joe Adamack, Jennifer Wagner, Justin Martin, Sharee Adkins, Troy Stang

“Justin is a tremendous advocate because he doesn’t just tell lawmakers what credit unions can do, he shows how it is done in reality,” said Joe Adamack, GoWest SVP, Legislative Affairs. “From having important discussions directly with key lawmakers to leading an organization whose products and services highlight what credit unions can and must be for their members, his work has directly benefitted not just TAPCO or Tacoma, but credit unions and consumers throughout the entire state of Washington.”

For Martin, the stakes of this work are clear. Reflecting on what the Summit Advocate Award means to him, he emphasized the connection between advocacy and credit unions’ ability to serve members through every stage of life.

“Advocacy is so important in ensuring that the people and communities that credit unions were formed to serve are able to continue to have access to the products and programs needed for them to navigate all phases of life, particularly times of challenge,” Martin said.

That belief keeps his focus on more than individual legislative issues. By maintaining relationships with lawmakers and consistently sharing credit unions’ stories, Martin helps ensure the cooperative perspective remains part of conversations that affect the industry’s ability to serve its members.

Bringing More Voices Into Advocacy

Martin’s advocacy extends beyond his own participation. At TAPCO, he encourages employees to attend Credit Union Day at the Capitol and take advantage of other opportunities to engage directly with policymakers. By making advocacy accessible to his team, he reinforces that protecting the cooperative model is a shared responsibility and that credit union employees have valuable perspectives to contribute.

TAPCO’s community partnerships also help illustrate the impact behind those conversations. Through programs addressing needs such as homelessness and small-business funding, the credit union demonstrates how it can respond to local challenges and strengthen the communities it serves. These efforts give Martin and his colleagues tangible examples to share with legislators, connecting the industry’s policy priorities to the everyday needs of their constituents.

Martin believes that collaboration across the Movement is essential to sustaining that impact. The Summit Advocate Award, he said, reinforces what credit unions can accomplish when they speak together.

“Through our collective voice as a movement we can continue to ensure that credit unions are positioned to respond to the needs of our community, in a way that positively impacts all in our community,” he said.

Looking Ahead: A Stronger Collective Voice

“I look forward to continuing to partner with my credit union colleagues and GoWest to ensure that our legislative body is informed on the needs of the community and how credit union’s unique, not-for-profit structure allows us to respond to those needs in ways that other financial entities are unable or unwilling,” Martin said.

That commitment captures the spirit of the Summit Advocate Award. Through consistent engagement, relationship-building and encouragement of others to participate, Martin is helping strengthen the collective voice of credit unions in Washington and across the region. His advocacy ensures that when important decisions are made, lawmakers have a clearer understanding of what credit unions do and why preserving their ability to serve matters to the communities that depend on them.

Posted in Leadership, MAXX, Regional Member News, Top Headlines, Washington.