Cuna News Podcast

When Marc Schaefer steps down as CEO of Truliant Federal Credit Union at the end of 2019, he doesn’t want the focus to be on what he did as an individual. Instead, he wants people to remember what the $2.6 billion asset credit union in Winston-Salem, N.C., did for its members. “It’s about the member,” Schaefer tells the CUNA News Podcast. “We improved a ton of peoples’ lives over the 25 years I was CEO. Just think of all of the car loans to help people get to work and home loans to help people build wealth and have a place to live. Everything we’ve done, we’ve done to improve members’ lives.” Schaefer also talks about his upcoming retirement, what’s changed during his 25 years of leading the credit union, his advocacy efforts, and more.

The payments landscape is constantly changing and credit unions must adapt with new technology so they can continue meeting members’ needs and expectations. “Credit unions need their payments products to be top of wallet and everybody wants to have  a great user experience for members,” Libby Calderone, president/COO of LSC, says in this episode of the CUNA News Podcast. “Our challenge is to work with our clients to make sure their products are what their members deserve.” In this episode of the CUNA News Podcast, sponsored by LSC, Calderone and Tom Kane, president/CEO of the Illinois Credit Union League, talk about bank attacks, the changing payments environment, credit union awareness, and more.

The foray into solar lending at UMassFive College Federal Credit Union began with a desire to create a new loan product and simple Google search on “solar energy.” “If you want to grow at a pace that's a little better than average, you need to look for new opportunities,” says Rich Kump, CEO of the $500 million asset credit union in Hadley, Mass. “I had been keeping my eye on solar for about five years before we really got serious about it.” Kump; Scott Pellegrini, associate vice president of consumer lending at $2.7 billion asset Provident Credit Union in Redwood City, Calif.; and Paul Schwabe, finance analysis team lead at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a U.S Department of Energy (DOE) laboratory that focuses on finding solutions to energy challenges; joined the CUNA News Podcast to discuss solar loan programs, the demand for these types of loans, what the future holds for solar lending programs, and more. The views expressed in this podcast do not necessarily represent the views of t

For Steve Timmons, tackling a fraud incident involves not only resolving the issue for the member, but also determining how the incident occurred and how to prevent it from happening again. “We analyze each situation to see if we could have done something differently or put something in place that can assist us in getting the money back quickly,” says Timmons, fraud coordinator at $778 million asset VSECU in Montpelier, Vt. “In any instance involving fraud, you have to react quickly or the money will be gone.” That quick, detailed response often leaves members grateful. “You can tell from a voice over the phone how appreciative folks are when you save them from what could be, in some instances, a substantial loss,” he says. Timmons, who was named a 2019 Credit Union Rock Star by Credit Union Magazine in a special issue sponsored by Fiserv, joined the CUNA News Podcast to talk about fraud resolution, top fraud threats, fraud education, and more.

The co-located 2019 CUNA Technology Council and Operations & Member Experience Council Conferences in Chicago featured many highlights, including a preconference Security Summit and high-level sessions for technology and operations leaders. Nearly 100 technology leaders took part in the 6th annual Security Summit, where much of the discussion centered on internal controls, access management, effective reporting, security breaches, and securing applications in the cloud. Plus, the event featured multiple award-winning efforts to improve sales and service, recognize staff, enhance digital services, and more.This episode of the CUNA News Podcast features discussions with:Mark Reed, senior vice president, technology, for American Airlines Credit UnionBill Podborny, chief information systems officer, Alliant Credit Union.Tom Lea, vice president, information technologyPete Sedgwick, chief information officer, Deere Employees Credit Union.Shay Gilstrap, vice president of human resources at One Detroit Credit Uni

Cindy Olson has seen the best of times and worst of times a company can experience. As a top executive at a Fortune 7 firm during the late ‘90s, she pioneered the use of technology in finding, developing, and keeping top talent. But within a few years, she feared going to prison in the wake of a high-profile scandal that left the organization bankrupt, executives jailed, and thousands of employees without jobs or pensions. The company? Enron. In this episode of the CUNA News Podcast, sponsored by LSC, Olson explains why she blames a toxic culture for Enron’s demise—and warns the same fate may await those who stray from their values. She also shares some early signs your corporate culture may be in trouble, the components of a healthy culture, and more.

Your culture is the pulse of everything your organization does. It represents the way employees work to produce a product or service. “Culture eats strategy every time—for breakfast, lunch, and dinner—and  culture is the pulse of what the organization is doing,” says Dr. Troy Hall, chief strategy officer for $1.8 billion asset South Carolina Federal Credit Union in North Charleston. “Culture is the lifeblood of the organization. The people are the lifeblood.” But culture is more than just the rituals, stories, customs, and traditions, Hall says. While those are parts of a culture, a “cohesion culture” is one where you create an environment of belonging where individuals feel valued because they have purpose, and where your organization remains committed  to employees. Organizations that have this type of culture in place will have employees who work together cohesively and, as a result, perform better.

Ray Lancaster began his career as a credit union volunteer. But looking back it seems inevitable Lancaster would become a credit union CEO one day. Lancaster embodies the credit union spirit. As CEO of $167 million asset Pyramid Federal Credit Union in Tucson, Ariz., he’s always looking for a way to help others. One of his greatest inspirations was the National Credit Union Foundation’s Development Education (DE) Program. It was during the Foundation’s DE training in 2014 that Lancaster realized how many Americans are one misstep away from financial disaster. “The DE program just resonated in my heart,” Lancaster says in this episode of the CUNA News Podcast. “It just provided me with a higher realization of why we're here and the meaning of credit union life: how we should be the best deal for our members.” That epiphany served as the catalyst for many of the programs that are in place at Pyramid Federal today. In a true reflection of Lancaster’s leadership, there’s not a level of the credit union that

Andrea Parrish jokes that her drug of choice of public speaking. She loves an audience. As digital brand manager at $3 billion STCU in Spokane, Wash., her audience is a membership of 195,000. Her success in connecting with that audience—and beyond—earned her 2019 Credit Union Rock Star status from Credit Union Magazine. Parrish loves to share her knowledge. CUNA Director of Blended Learning Ariel Bilskey describes Parrish as “my personal rock star” for the assistance she’s provided with the CUNA Digital Marketing School as a speaker and content provider. Parrish believes in the power of social media, not simply as a marketing tool but also for its ability to connect people and start meaningful conversations. She also believes in the power of questions to start those conversations.

The African-American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC) wants to be considered a preferred diversity, equity, and inclusion partner for the credit union system, says Adrian Johnson, chief financial officer at $1.2 billion asset MECU Credit Union in Baltimore and AACUC chairman. In this episode of the CUNA News Podcast, recorded during AACUC’s 21st annual conference in Charlotte, N.C., Johnson discusses the organization’s unique role within the credit union system, opportunities that await AACUC, and his experiences at MECU. Plus, Adrian’s wife, Zelda, shares the story of a health scare she experienced in 2017, and how that event changed her and Adrian’s lives.

During a recent CUNA News Podcast interview at the 2019 African-American Credit Union Coalition Conference in Charlotte, N.C., NCUA Chairman Rodney Hood discussed the need for financial inclusion, small credit unions, easing credit unions’ regulatory burden, innovation, fintechs, and more. President Donald Trump nominated Hood for the NCUA Board on Jan. 19, 2019. After confirmation, he took the oath of office on April 8, 2019, and President Trump designated him as the agency’s 11th chairman. Hood previously served on the NCUA Board from November 2005 until August 2009.

Faced with the changing demographics of a community coupled with a struggle to repay borrowed secondary capital from the U.S. Treasury, leadership at North Side Community Federal Credit Union knew a merger was in their future. But they wanted to make sure the merger took place on their own terms. “We felt our legacy was really important and we didn’t want to see that go away,” says Sarah Marshall, former CEO of the $9 million asset credit union. “We wanted to make sure we were proactive and had room to leverage everything we built.” Marshall discusses North Side Community Federal Credit Union’s recent merger with Great Lakes Credit Union, what it means for the former credit union’s members, organizational culture, how to navigate change, and more in this episode of the CUNA News Podcast.

Young professionals (YP) realize their role entails more than just their daily credit union duties. And they know the movement’s future depends on their involvement in advocacy. “There’s been a massive influx of interest and energy from YPs the last few years,” says Adam Engelman, CUNA’s director of federal grassroots advocacy. “They embody the credit union movement in the sense that they’re passionate about giving back to their communities. They see the good work credit unions are doing in their communities.” Many YPs are advocating by meeting with elected officials, attending national conferences, participating in advocacy training events, and telling their stories through letters. “Regardless of what your title is within the credit union,” Engelman says, “you should reserve some time to care about advocacy and to advocate on behalf of the credit union movement.” Engelman explains why young professionals get involved in advocacy, how they’re advocating, and more in this episode of the CUNA News Podcast. 

Creating a high-performing team requires, as Tracy Nelson puts it, getting the right people on the bus. That means finding those who not only have the right skills and knowledge, but who fit your credit union’s culture, says Nelson, vice president of learning and development, Center for Professional and Executive Development, at the University of Wisconsin School of Business. “Having the right culture where people feel safe, have strong relationships, and are comfortable having open, honest conversations and challenging each other's ideas creates a high-performing team that's focused on results,” she says. In this episode of the CUNA News Podcast, Nelson looks at some common elements of high-performing teams, the importance of coaching, and where teams can fall short. She addressed CUNA Management School in Madison, Wis. 

The route John DiJulius took to become an authority on world-class service began in the least likely of places: a small hair salon in Cleveland.Due to his obsession with the customer experience, the establishment quickly expanded  to multiple locations, becoming one of America’s top 20 salons.Today, companies such as Ritz-Carlton, Lexus, and Starbucks come to him for insights on improving the customer experience.In this episode of the CUNA News Podcast, DiJulius explains how the right member experience can create a competitive advantage and how to connect with people in an increasingly digital world.He also provides insights from his new book, “The Relationship Economy.”DiJulius will address the 2019 CUNA CEO Council Conference Sept. 23-25 in Coronado, Calif.

Advancing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is a top priority of CUNA leadership and its member credit unions.Earlier this year, former CUNA Board Chairman Maurice Smith, president/CEO of $2 billion asset Local Government Federal Credit Union in Raleigh, N.C., proposed adding diversity and inclusion as an eighth cooperative principle.Smith leads a Diversity and Inclusion Ad Hoc Working Group of credit union leaders tasked with taking an honest look at the credit union movement through this lens.In this episode of the CUNA News Podcast, we talk to CUNA Board Member Teresa Freeborn, president/CEO of $891 million asset Xceed Financial Credit Union in El Segundo, Calif., and three of the credit union’s board members: Mark Cunningham, Roni Crichton, and Judy Novak. They share their views on the board’s role in fostering DEI and how DEI can strengthen the credit union movement’s competitive position and social currency.The future of credit unions “will surely depend” on diversity, Freeborn says, using statistic

In 2004, leaders of New Light Christian Church in Houston asked Harlene Johnson, a former banker who'd recently moved to the city from Louisiana, to lead the formation of a faith-based credit union.She proved to be more than qualified for the responsibility.Johnson’s banking background—and determination—allowed the credit union to navigate the chartering process. But from the beginning she was struck by credit unions' people-helping-people philosophy.Under her leadership, Light Commerce Credit Union has emerged as a beacon in her local community, offering products and services that enable members to reach the economic mainstream.Through Johnson's tireless efforts as CEO, Light Commerce merges faith, financial services, and social responsibility. “I love to share the knowledge and the blessings I have with others,” she says. “Being a part of a wonderful church that helps people not just spiritually but in all areas of their lives has provided me with the freedom to pursue that passion and make a

A brand refresh involves much more than changing your logo or adding billboards.“That’s literally the last thing you do, and it takes the least amount of time,” says Anne Norman, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at UW Credit Union in Madison, Wis.  “The research, strategic choices, and internal executive team alignment are the most crucial and most time consuming to set yourself up to do the fun, sexy stuff everybody gets to see.”The $2.8 billion asset credit union recently unveiled a new brand identity and tagline, “Here For Every You,” built around supporting members at every step of their life’s journey, Norman says.“You can’t get to the point with a creative agency where you’re talking about things like color, type face, and iconography if you don’t have a clear, solid foundation of what you are and who you’re serving,” she says.In this episode of the CUNA News Podcast, recorded at Bloom Bake Shop in Madison, Wis., Norman talks about UW Credit Union’s brand refresh, advice she offers othe

Rachel Scheuerman, director of engagement solutions for Harland Clarke, takes substantial pride in developing relationships as part of her everyday work.In this CUNA News Podcast episode, sponsored by Harland Clarke, she discusses customer engagement as a competitive advantage. In the face of increased competition and commoditization driven by rock-bottom pricing, customer engagement is now table stakes for credit union success.Customer engagement is the new branding, Scheuerman says. Consumers today want more than a one-off transaction.Instead, they seek relationships that add value to the consumer experience. Frequently cited examples include Amazon and Zappos.Your browser does not support the audio element.“Credit unions have a big story to tell,” Scheuerman says. But getting started on the consumer engagement journey can be overwhelming.She advises credit unions to start with their own culture and then work on building relationships with members.This requires living and breathing member engagement it in e

Be a sponge. Have a sense of humor. Appreciate and develop your staff. Never stop learning. Network with peers.All great advice from chief financial officers (CFOs) who’ve served the credit union movement for 25 years or more.This episode of the CUNA News Podcast—recorded during the 2019 CUNA Finance Council Conference in New York City—features five long-time finance leaders who discuss the changing role of CFOs, advice they’d offer new finance leaders, and more.The CUNA Finance Council celebrated its 25th anniversary this year.These leaders are:Alan Wade, CFO of  Member One Federal Credit Union, Roanoke, Va.Kerry Parker, CEO of A+ Federal Credit Union in Austin, TexasMike Lord, president/CEO of SECU in Raleigh, N.C.Vince Market, CFO of TruMark Financial Credit Union in Fort Washington, Pa.Pam Finch, former credit union CFO and strategic consultant and owner of Red Ribbon Consulting.