Elissa McCarter LaBorde

Elissa McCarter LaBorde is President and CEO of World Council of Credit Unions, the global trade association and development organization for financial cooperatives in over 100 countries. She joined the organization in late 2021, becoming the first woman to serve at the helm in its more than 50-year history.

Ms. LaBorde brings 25 years of experience leading organizations in financial inclusion, inclusive fintech, impact investing and designing financial products that reach underserved communities across the globe. Previously, Ms. LaBorde served as CEO of Vitas Group, a social enterprise under the non-profit Global Communities, that became the largest retail microfinance and small business lending operation in the Middle East.

Ms. LaBorde has lived and worked in five countries (France, Benin, Armenia, Turkey and Zimbabwe) and has traveled to over 75 countries around the world. She is a published author and serves as an adjunct professor at John’s Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, a position she's held for more than 15 years.

Ms. LaBorde resides just outside Washington, D.C., with her husband and three children.