MADISON, Wis.–Christina Mullins, senior lending resources specialist at State Employees’ Credit Union in North Carolina, has been named the 2026 CUES Emerging Leader, following a competition in which five finalists presented business proposals designed to address challenges facing credit unions.
According to CUES, Mullins was selected for the honor following an Oct. 7 online pitch competition in which finalists presented their projects to a panel of judges. The pitch contest can be viewed here. CUES partners with Currency Marketing on the competition.
Mullins’ winning business case, “BUILDing from Within: A Scalable Succession Management Framework,” proposes a five-phase approach to succession planning designed to help credit unions identify and develop future leaders internally.
CUES said the framework is intended to reduce employee turnover and hiring costs while establishing a board-approved succession management process aligned with National Credit Union Administration expectations.
Two Runners-Up Named
CUES also recognized two runners-up in the competition:
- Justin Thompson, marketing automation analyst at Royal Credit Union in Wisconsin.
- Brandon White, manager of financial crimes analytics at Wings Credit Union in Colorado.
The other two finalists were Nicole Baker, member center manager at Community Choice Credit Union in Michigan, and Elizabeth Seelbach, director of strategy at Resource One Credit Union in Texas.
The five finalists presented their proposals during an online event hosted by Tim McAlpine, founder and CEO of Currency Marketing.
Leadership Development Awards
According to CUES, Mullins and the two runners-up will each receive an educational package offering executive education opportunities led by university professors, along with leadership assessments and coaching from Envision Excellence.
The competition is part of CUES Emerge, a professional development program created to help identify and prepare emerging leaders in the credit union industry.
Participants selected for the 2026 program completed live online courses and Mastermind sessions, during which they developed project ideas and business cases for evaluation by a panel of judges.
The program is offered at no cost to participants and is intended to provide leadership development opportunities for credit union professionals seeking to advance their careers.
Participants who complete the required coursework and business case earn the Certified Credit Union Manager designation, according to CUES.
Applications Open in January
CUES said applications for the 2027 Emerge program will open in January.
The program is designed to strengthen the credit union industry’s leadership pipeline by helping participants develop practical solutions to organizational challenges while building the skills needed for future management and executive positions.
