CDF Mourns the Passing of Chuck Snyder

Cooperative champion and 2012 Hall of Fame Inductee Chuck Snyder died Saturday, November 6 from an aortic aneurysm.  Since 1992, Chuck served as President and CEO of the National Cooperative Bank where he used his position to strengthen cooperatives, promote cooperation among cooperatives, and support the use of the model to serve socially disadvantaged communities.

His support of the Cooperative Development Foundation was unsurpassed. Chuck was active in the Cooperative Hall of Fame process participating on the Selection Committee for many years, serving on inductees’ fundraising committees, committing NCB to HOF sponsorships, and attending the event. He served on the CDF Board of Directors for many years. NCB was a foundational supporter of the Cooperative 5K sponsoring the event and soliciting sponsorships from vendors and other service providers. CDF prepared a video commemorating Chuck’s contribution to the organization.

“Chuck’s passing is a big loss for co-ops and for me personally. He always did the right thing. He believed in co-ops but he was also a good banker and he wasn’t afraid to tell co-ops they needed to run strong businesses — while also being true to their values,” said Rich Larochelle, CDF Board Chair.

In addition to his Hall of Fame induction, Chuck received the Jerry Voorhis Award  from the National Association of Housing Cooperatives for his long-standing commitment to affordable housing cooperatives. In 2017, he was the recipient of the Esther Peterson Consumer Service Award presented by the Consumer Federation of America for his commitment to consumer rights.

“Whether it was supporting an initiative to form a worker-owned home care cooperative in DC, cooperative organizing by Southern black farmers, or efforts to encourage cooperatives to work together, Chuck was a supporter of the good cause. It’s hard to overstate the contributions Chuck made to the cooperative community. He’s had a profound impact on CDF and the success the organization has had over the years,” said former CDF Executive Director Leslie Mead.

Chuck Snyder will be greatly missed by the cooperative community. CDF sends condolences to the Snyder family.