BOULDER CITY, Nev./PALM COAST, Fla.— As credit unions accelerate into artificial intelligence (AI) with unprecedented speed—often deploying tools before strategies, governance, or long‑term plans are fully in place, Mitchell Stankovic & Associates and the CU Daily have partnered to launch The AI Imperative Series, a three‑month leadership journey focused on the realities of AI in credit unions.
The objective of the initiative is to help leaders elevate their thinking, strengthen readiness, and learn directly from subject‑matter experts and credit unions already implementing.
Beginning July 29 and concluding Sept. 30, the biweekly, 30‑minute webinars deliver fast‑moving, high‑altitude insight paired with practical, real‑credit‑union examples. Frank J. Diekmann, Cooperator in Chief at The CU Daily, will moderate all sessions, guiding conversations between national subject‑matter experts and credit union leaders applying AI in real time.
‘Rethinking How We Operate’
“Credit unions are entering an AI era that demands stronger leadership, sharper governance, and a willingness to rethink how we operate,” said Susan Mitchell, CEO of Mitchell Stankofic & Associates. “We created this series to help executives and boards move beyond experimentation and into intentional, defensible, strategic deployment. The future belongs to those who act with discipline and purpose.”
Mitchell Stankovic’s popular Underground meeting, which is to take place in Las Vegas in October, will serve as the capstone to the entire series—a high‑level convening of $5‑billion‑caliber leaders for real‑time executive roundtables.
“This culminating session gives credit unions a higher vantage point for a world that has already changed and converts the insights from the AI Imperative Series into actionable transformation plans,” the company said in.a statement. “These conversations are grounded in MSA’s day-to-day consulting work and reflect what leaders are navigating in real time across the system.”
Part of CU Daily’s Profitability Imperative Initiative
The AI Imperative Series dovetails with the CU Daily’s 2026 series, “The Profitability Imperative.”
“Unlike every other significant technology development credit unions have had to adjust to and embrace during their existence, artificial intelligence is the first to be used and deployed by employees ahead of their employers, and by credit unions ahead of their vendors,” said the CU Daily’s Frank J. Diekmann. “The great rush has also created some great outcomes and some great challenges. As the name of this webinar series makes clear, it’s imperative credit unions begin building guardrails and best practices to fully take advantage of this era-defining technological shift.”
An Invitation to Join
Registration for the full AI Imperative Series is $499 per person, providing leaders with a complete arc of understanding—from foundational concepts to practical application to governance maturity. The series will conclude with a unique webinar event in which presenters in the series respond to all of the questions that were asked during earlier presentations.
The Underground Imperative on Oct. 18 requires separate registration and offers the capstone experience for those who want to elevate their vantage point and translate the series insights into executive‑level transformation.
Visit the AI IMPERATIVE SERIES website to learn more and sign up.
