MADISON, Wis.– Amazon Web Services (AWS) has profiled the Credit Union Executives Society (CUES) for the work it has done in leveraging AWS to better deliver content and support member development.
“The challenge of modern leadership development CUES faced significant obstacles in delivering personalized learning experiences to credit union leaders,” AWS said. “The organization operated with disconnected data sources and manual processes, with one employee spending most of their time on tasks that could be automated. Credit unions require structured talent development programs and compliance tracking for board requirements, but CUES lacked the technology infrastructure to deliver personalized, role-specific recommendations at scale.”
Urgency Was Apparent
According to the AWS report, the urgency for change became apparent as CUES recognized that modernizing its technology infrastructure would be a game-changer for the organization.
In 2024, CUES won the AWS Imagine Grant, providing both cash and AWS credit funding, the report stated, adding the grant provided the crucial support necessary to hire a VP of technology earlier than planned and covered cloud infrastructure costs during development.
“The organization implemented a sophisticated solution using Amazon Redshift for data warehousing, Amazon Personalize for machine learning (ML)-powered recommendations, Amazon Quick Sight for business intelligence (BI), and Amazon Athena for interactive queries,” AWS reported.
Two Phases
According to AWS, the implementation proceeded in two strategic phases.
- Phase 1 focused on creating the Member Activity Summary report and personalized learning recommendations. This system integrates with various data sources to analyze member behavior, learning patterns, and career progression needs.
- Phase 2 involves migrating from IBM Cognos to Amazon Quick Sight, consolidating business analytics capabilities and incorporating new data streams from the personalization platform.
‘Substantial Impact’
“The impact of the new platform has been substantial,” AWS said. “The automation of manual processes has reduced one full-time employee’s manual workload by 75% , resulting in annual savings of approximately $55,000. More importantly, the platform has revolutionized how CUES serves its members. Credit union leaders now receive personalized learning recommendations that directly support their career development goals and organizational needs.
“The new system enables credit unions to better support staff development through structured, data-driven learning journeys,” the AWS report continued. “Members benefit from targeted content that accelerates their career growth and enhances leadership capabilities. Looking ahead, CUES plans to implement career progression analysis and recommendations based on individual roles, skills, and competencies, creating tailored development plans that align with desired career paths.”
Consolidated Learning Platform
AWS added that the consolidated reporting platform streamlines operations and provides comprehensive visibility into learning outcomes and compliance requirements.
“This integration offers insights into member engagement patterns and helps CUES continuously refine its content and delivery methods to better serve the credit union community,” it added.
