MADISON, Wis.—Ryan Suttles, real estate specialist II with State Employees’ CU in North Carolina, has been named the 2025 CUES Emerging Leader.
As one of five finalists, Suttles’ journey began when he was selected into the CUES Emerge program early in 2025. From there, attendees engaged in live online courses and Mastermind sessions, creating project ideas and developing business cases that were reviewed by a panel of judges, CUES said.
On Oct. 1, Suttles and the four other finalists presented their projects live during an online pitch show. The event was hosted by Tim McAlpine, founder and CEO of Currency Marketing..
Two other finalists, Jennifer Dray, director of sales and coaching with YNCU in Ontario, Canada, and Jessica Smith, AVP-remote experience with Unitus Community CU in Oregon, were named runners-up.
Each top-three winner will receive a CUES educational package with options to advance their growth, led by top executive-education professors, plus leadership assessment and coaching from Envision Excellence.
The Winning Case
According to CUES, Suttles’ winning business case, Pipeline-Centered Mortgage Dashboard—Focused on Employee Efficiency & Member Transparency, outlines an “innovative mortgage process that improves employee efficiency and member transparency.”
Additional Finalists
The other finalists taking part in the online pitch show were:
• Charles Bond, senior product specialist with Elevations CU in Colorado.
• Latica Battle, market manager with Ardent CU in Pennsylvania.
“CUES Emerge was created to offer free professional development to the industry’s up-and-coming leaders,” CUES said. “Participants who complete the coursework and business case earn the Certified Credit Union Manager (CCM) designation in recognition of their commitment to their career, credit union and the movement.”
The 2025 CUES Emerge Pitch Show replay can be viewed at CUESEmerge.com.
