BECU CEO Honored for Expanding Access to Education
BECU President and CEO Beverly Anderson was honored at the UNCF Seeds of Hope Gala for her commitment to expanding access to education and mentorship and advancing opportunity for future leaders.
Katie J. Skipper
(She, Her, Hers)
BECU Community Content Manager
Published Apr 14, 2026 in:
BECU Spotlight
Takeaways:
- UNCF award honors BECU President and CEO Beverly Anderson for leadership in expanding access to education and mentorship.
- Anderson's journey as a Florida A&M alum underscores the profound role of HBCUs in inspiring and motivating Black students.
- Anderson's experiences at Harvard Business School and in her career highlight the importance of mentorship and community.
- Students were central to the program, sharing their experience in UNCF's Portfolio Project.
- Mentorship and inclusive leadership were emphasized as essential to creating opportunity for future leaders.
On a night full of hope, inspiration and lush blooms, the 2026 UNCF Seeds of Hope Gala in Seattle celebrated the power of education and mentorship to help young people blossom into leaders.
Tall bouquets topped banquet tables and a cascade of green vines and red, pink and yellow flowers spilled over the top of the podium, setting a tone of vibrancy and growth.
BECU President and CEO Beverly Anderson was honored at the event as UNCF's Frederick D. Patterson Outstanding Corporate Leader of the Year for her commitment to expanding access to education and her belief that historically Black colleges and universities are engines of leadership, community and possibility. These are also core elements of UNCF's mission to develop students and support a network of 37 HBCUs.
As an alum of Florida A&M University (an HBCU) and Harvard Business School, the award from UNCF was especially meaningful for Anderson.
"UNCF is an organization that allows someone like me to even exist," she said. "It's an organization that looks for young, capable, diverse students, makes sure that they have education and are ready to engage in the business community. Because of them, I'm here, and young people who look like me get to see what they can become."
Anderson credited family members, educators and mentors with shaping her path, starting with a childhood filled with love and support and grounded in purpose and community.
Her passion for banking was ignited in a class she took at Florida A&M with Larry Frieder, Ph.D. Her interest piqued as he talked about the Glass-Steagall Act, a 1933 law that separated commercial banking from investment banking to restore confidence in the U.S. financial system.
"It was a way to protect everyday people and the money that they had, and I wanted to be a part of a system that would do that for people," Anderson said.
After 10 years of corporate banking experience, Anderson attended Harvard Business School, where she gained an exceptional education, as well as confidence and community.
She reflected on the mentors who helped her build leadership skills, and how important it is for leaders to pay it forward.
"Mentorship is one of the most important things we do as leaders today," she said. "Leading isn't just about driving results. It's about creating an opportunity for everybody to have a voice, have a point of view, be a part of the discussion, be a part of the decision making."
BECU's Support for UNCF
Anderson expressed pride in representing BECU at the event and drew connections between BECU and UNCF's missions and her own: Transforming lives through education and financial access.
BECU has invested more than $11 million in expanding education access since 2017, supporting students in pursuit of their goals and creating lasting financial well-being in communities. Education is well documented as statistically leading to higher earning potential and more career options.
"BECU is purpose driven," she said. "It's an organization that for 90 years has been delivering impact in this community here in the Pacific Northwest. It has built a brand that is so connected to financial well-being for our members and for our communities."
Next Generation of Leaders
Following the awards, students shared personal stories about their own seeds of hope — each describing a seed UNCF planted for them for academic development, mentorship, confidence or community.
The students were participants in the 2026 Portfolio Project, UNCF Seattle's signature college preparatory program. Since 2006, the Portfolio Project has helped more than 3,000 students and awarded more than $200,000 in scholarships, with more than 85% of participants being accepted to colleges and universities, according to UNCF.
The March gala raised more than $975,000.
Anderson was energized and hopeful, but for her, the work to continue opening doors and creating opportunities matters now more than ever.
"I think what's so exciting about this night and what's so incredibly hard about this night and this honor is how rare I still am as a Black female CEO," she said. "The fact that we are still having conversations about why this matters, the fact that UNCF is still so incredibly crucial to the future success of society still says that we've got work to do as a nation, as a people."
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Katie J. Skipper
(She, Her, Hers)
BECU Community Content Manager