Cuna News Podcast

On April 14, 2018, the island of Kauai in Hawaii was deluged with a historic rain storm.As with all natural disasters, basic daily needs such as food and clean water were suddenly at a premium. Kauai Government Employees Federal Credit Union, under the leadership of CEO Monica Belz, was at the forefront of recovery efforts on the island.Belz even delivered supplies to members via jet ski.“We got the board of directors together and asked, ‘What is our role as a credit union? What can we do?’" she tells the CUNA News Podcast. “I put my laptop and other supplies in a dry bag and jet skied, boated, and swam to the most remote region.”As you will learn in this podcast, sponsored by Harland Clarke, Belz is uniquely suited for an emergency response. But her leadership qualities extend far beyond natural disasters.As a millennial CEO, Belz has a wide range of international business and community-building experience as well as a fearless spirit that make her the kind of leader who can help credit unions shape the

Chief financial officers (CFO) are no longer solely number crunchers. Instead, they’re increasingly being asked to get more involved in the credit union’s strategic mission.“It helps us think a little bit differently about the kind of work we do and to be more focused on big picture work,” says Brandon Smith, CFO at $131 million asset Reliant Federal Credit Union in Casper, Wyo. “We’re naturally pretty good at detail and digging into the weeds, but when you have to think about things in bigger terms, I think that’s good for us.”Having these “heavy thinkers” involved in strategy discussions benefits the credit union, Smith says. CFOs who think creatively and innovatively can also perform further research and analyze data that impacts the strategies being discussed.“It puts some meat and teeth into a lot of the discussions,” says Smith, a member of the CUNA Finance Council Executive Committee. “We should think big, but it’s great to go back and qualify it or try to figure out how to make real plans.”Smith talks

You’re having a bad day. That could affect the interactions you have with your colleagues.But if you understand your emotions and how they impact you, it might allow you to turn unpleasant interactions with others into something positive.“Emotional intelligence is a critical component to leadership development. It’s about self-awareness and self-management,” says Brandi Stankovic, chief marketing officer at CU Solutions Group. “Strong leaders recognize the impact emotional intelligence has on their own communication and social capacity. And our ability to manage and recognize our own emotions helps us better facilitate and empower the emotions of other people.”Knowing your emotions, the triggers that activate those emotions, and how those emotions affect your communication with others and decision-making process is key.“I like to look at all of these pieces as awareness and an opportunity to make decisions and move forward,” Stankovic says. “If we can move our emotions from the unconscious to the conscious, w

Jason Lindstrom has a message for all credit union marketers who want to be CEO: He’s living proof it can be done.Lindstrom started as a part-time teller during college and took on a variety of marketing, business development, and operational roles before becoming CEO at $293 million asset Evergreen Credit Union in Portland, Maine.Key to his progression was taking on responsibilities outside of his marketing duties and gaining experience through industry groups such as the CUNA Marketing & Business Development Council, where he serves as chair of the executive committee.“The biggest thing for me was getting involved in other areas along the way,” Lindstrom says. “It was a combination of credit union and credit union movement experiences. If you want to advance, don’t just stay behind your desk.”In this episode of the CUNA News Podcast, Lindstrom describes his progression to the CEO role, offers advice on how others can navigate that path, and explains his goals for the CUNA Marketing & Business Develo

President/CEO Mike Lee explains how KCT goes the extra mile to reduce members’ debt burden.

President/CEO Mike Lee explains how KCT goes the extra mile to reduce members’ debt burden.

When Washington state legalized the use of marijuana in 2014, O Bee Credit Union in Tumwater, Wash., initially decided not to serve marijuana-related businesses. But when members started asking for cannabis banking services, O Bee changed course and introduced deposit accounts, debit cards, and some other services for these  organizations. The credit union’s rationale: We serve the member, not the business. In this episode of the CUNA News Podcast, recorded at the 2019 CUNA Governmental Affairs Conference, Collins explains the risks and challenges involved with cannabis banking, some of the operational pain points, and a few surprises that arose along the way.

Board members ultimately are responsible for the security of their credit unions.

In this episode of the CUNA News podcast, Crystal Long and Diana Dykstra, winners of the National Credit Union Foundation’s Herb Wegner Memorial Award for Individual Achievement, share their feelings on winning the award and the paths they followed to earn them such a distinguished honor.Crystal Long is president/CEO of GECU in El Paso, Texas. Under her leadership, GECU has made a commitment to community development and enabled  many El Paso residents achieve economic prosperity.She is also a dedicated advocate for the credit union movement who puts her staff and members first. Long started her career with GECU as a file clerk at age 19.Among her accomplishments, Long spearheaded the award-winning GECU Neighborhood Branch™ expansion strategy to serve members via personal teller machines (PTMs) and on-site loan officers in areas where financial services options are limited. Not only are the branches in more convenient locations for members to access, the PTMs allow for extended hours of operation.GECU financia

CUNA News staff talk with credit union leaders, exhibitors while at the CUNA Governmental Affairs Conference.

These four credit union leaders exemplify credit unions’ people-helping-people philosophy.

CUNA Chairman Maurice Smith believes credit unions should extend themselves beyond financial inclusion.

Latino credit union provides new hope for struggling members.

Data can level the playing field for credit unions, says consultant Kirk Kordeleski.

While social media opens many doors, it can also raise serious compliance hurdles. In this episode of the CUNA News Podcast, Kristen Tatlock, senior compliance manager for Credit Union Service Network, looks at common mistakes credit unions make when using social media, how social media risks are evolving, and some social media do’s and don’ts.

Everyone can be an innovator, says Vermont Federal Credit Union’s Doug Robinson.

As CUNA’s Chief Advocacy Officer Ryan Donovan tells it, advocacy is a process. Donovan says 2018’s advocacy results validated CUNA's 360-degree advocacy approach—a grassroots strategy that fosters engagement from system players at all levels from every direction. In 2019, America’s credit unions will build on a process that brought them nearly unprecedented success in 2018. CUNA stood tall for America’s credit unions in 2018 with the passage of S. 2155, the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act, as the year’s advocacy highlight. In this episode of the CUNA News Podcast, Ryan outlines CUNA’s advocacy priorities for working with Congress, NCUA, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, as well as advocacy efforts at the state level.

The Emerging Leader Award winner says participation, networking, and professional development build leadership skills.

While Michelle Dwyer says she “fell into her job” at $63 million asset Franklin First Federal Credit Union in Greenfield, Mass., there’s more to it than that. Dwyer started as a temporary teller in 2006, and by 2016 she’d ascended to CEO. “From the beginning the job here just fit,” says Dwyer, referring to her lifelong orientation toward community service. She has broadened community awareness of Franklin First by participating in various community activities such as Rotary Club, the 100 Who Care Franklin County group, and the Franklin County Regional Dog Shelter.

As fintechs continue to increase their presence in the financial services industry, credit unions must decide to either form partnerships with these potential disruptors or compete against them. The first step in making this decision is to identify your niche—what you’re good at—and determining where to go from there, says Jeremy Pinard, vice president of consumer lending at $10.6 billion asset Alliant Credit Union in Chicago. “Credit unions have to get comfortable finding that niche and understanding they can’t be everything to all members,” Pinard tells the CUNA News Podcast. Discovering that niche might mean changing the products and services your credit union offers, partnering with a fintech company that excels in that area, or opting not to offer that product or service. “You go where you can play and compete,” he says.