Honoring Debbie Blackshear's Legacy

Debbie Blackshear, Cy-Fair FCU President from 1994-2012

Remembering the “Good” Debbie Wrote Into the Life Stories of Her Community.

A leader, a community advocate, a wife, a grandmother, a friend… Debbie Blackshear was much more than the retired president of Cy-Fair Federal Credit Union. She was a trusted and steady force for good throughout the Cy-Fair area. Known by colleagues, members, educators, and community partners alike, Debbie’s influence extended far beyond the walls of our credit union. Through her leadership, service, and unwavering commitment to people, she helped create opportunities, strengthen connections, and improve lives across the community she called home.

During her 18-year tenure as Cy-Fair FCU’s second President, Debbie played a pivotal role in shaping the credit union’s growth and direction, while never losing sight of its purpose: serving members with care and dignity. At the same time, her impact reached local schools, nonprofits, and civic organizations, where she was widely respected as someone who showed up and gave back to the community.

Debbie joined Cy-Fair FCU during a period of transition and stepped into the role of President in 1994 with a clear sense of responsibility to both the institution and the community it served. She believed financial services could open doors, ease burdens, and create better futures for individuals and families. It was apparent that her belief guided her leadership and informed every chapter she would write at Cy-Fair FCU.

A Chapter of Growth and Momentum

One of the most defining chapters of Debbie’s leadership was marked not just by growth in numbers, but by the opportunities she created for people in the community. Between 1994 and 2003, membership at Cy-Fair FCU expanded from around 10,000 to more than 17,400, and total assets doubled. More than a financial milestone, this growth meant that more individuals and families could access safe, fair, and reliable financial services that helped them build stability and achieve their goals.

Debbie approached expansion with intention and heart. Whether it was a student saving for college, a family buying their first home, or a small business getting the support it needed to thrive, each new program and service represented a chance to make a real difference in someone’s life. Her leadership was a promise that the credit union’s growth would always be measured by the good it created for members, not the numbers on the balance sheet.

A Chapter of Innovation and Access

Debbie’s presidency also brought a wave of new services that made life easier for members and opened doors for those who might otherwise have been left behind. From introducing online banking and debit cards to offering e-Statements, she championed tools that helped people take control of their finances safely and confidently. These innovations weren’t about technology. They were about empowerment, giving members more freedom, security, and opportunity.

Equally important was her commitment to expanding membership access across the Cy-Fair area. Debbie believed that the true measure of a credit union’s impact lies in the lives that it touches. By opening doors wider, she ensured more people could benefit from financial guidance, educational programs, and support for their dreams. Her efforts also strengthened relationships with local schools, including CFISD, and reinforced our credit union’s role as a caring, reliable partner for the community.

A Chapter of Service and Stewardship

Throughout her 18 years of leadership, Debbie lived the philosophy of people helping people. From active engagement in local elections to helping to pass the bond to create Northwest Harris Montgomery Community College District (which would become Lone Star College), Debbie made decisions guided not just by strategy, but by deep concern for members and the community—ensuring our credit union would serve those who needed it most. Colleagues and members remember her as thoughtful, compassionate, and tireless in her pursuit of bettering lives.

Debbie’s generosity extended far beyond Cy-Fair FCU. She actively served on boards and committees, including the Cy-Fair Educational Foundation, Cy-Hope, the Texas Credit Union League, and Lone Star College Cy-Fair’s President Advisory Committee. She championed causes that improved health, education, and opportunity, including Boys and Girls Country, the annual CFISD Livestock Show (of which she remained a tireless champion for decades), the American Heart Association NW Heart Walk, and Relay for Life, just to name a few. Through these efforts, she touched countless lives, creating hope and opening doors for the underserved in our community.

When Debbie retired from the credit union in 2012, she left behind more than a strong, resilient credit union. She left a legacy of generosity and service. The foundation she helped build continues to support not just CFFCU, but the entire community whose lives she helped to improve.

Just a few years after retiring as President of the credit union, Debbie found another significant leadership calling… running for and winning election to the Board of the school district she supported for so many years, CFISD. Debbie served two (2) four–year terms on the school board before completing her tenure in 2023. Teachers, administrators, and district employees in every role across the district always knew that they were appreciated, heard, and advocated for through Ms. Blackshear’s passionate volunteer service on the board.

An Enduring Part of Our Story

As the Cy-Fair FCU family and membership look back this year on seventy years since our founding, it is impossible not to see the many fingerprints Debbie left on this organization spanning a 28-year tenure (precisely the same number of years that her predecessor—and equal legend, Ms. Pat Wilbern—worked and led CFFCU). Debbie Blackshear’s legacy remains an enduring part of our story and heartbeat. The chapters she wrote of compassion, opportunity, and service continue to influence how our credit union pursues community impact and writing into the life stories of CFFCU members.

We extend our sincere gratitude to Debbie Blackshear for her years of dedicated service and the lasting contributions she made everywhere she went. Her leadership and legacy will be felt for generations to come.