PALM DESERT, Calif.–The Defense Credit Union Council (DCUC) is continuing its annual conference here.
Following a patriotic welcome ceremony, Sage Steele, host of The Sage Steele Show and former ESPN SportsCenter anchor, led an opening keynote, followed by a Q&A with Tony Hernandez, president and CEO of DCUC, during which Steele offered deeper insights into the “passions and perspectives shaped by her personal journey and professional experiences,” DCUC said.
Hernandez continued the general session by officially presenting Andrews Federal Credit Union (USAG Benelux) with the 2024 Army Credit Union of the Year Service Award. During the afternoon session, Navy Federal Credit Union (Souda Bay) and Topside Federal Credit Union (Potomac, Dahlgren) were also recognized for being selected by the Department of the Navy as the 2024 Navy Distinguished Credit Union of the Year.
Additional Presenters
Attendees also heard from:
- Becky Reed, COO of BankSocial, who discussed the GENIUS Act and stablecoin adoption, urging credit unions to act or risk losing competitive ground
- Alec Crawford, founder & CEO, Artificial Intelligence Risk, who addressed the pressing need for compliance and governance in the era of generative AI.
Partnership Announced
Heather McKissick, CEO of CUES, announced a new partnership between DCUC and CUES that the organization said is aimed at expanding leadership development and innovation resources across the credit union industry.
“The difference between collaboration and cooperation…when you cooperate, you each have separate goals and you work together to achieve those separate goals,” McKissick told the meeting. “But we’re looking forward to collaborating with one another to bring the strength of CUES, in terms of our leadership development events and otherwise, to DCUC, to its members, and also to benefit from the wisdom and the advocacy efforts, and the master class in change that DCUC is going to bring and already brings, to us and our membership.”
Final Discussion
A final discussion was by DCUC’s chief advocacy officer, Jason Stverak, who provided an update to attendees on recent advocacy efforts and important issues moving across Capitol Hill.
Stverak then moderated a panel discussion with leaders from across the broader financial and payment systems industry, including John Broda, president & CEO, AFFN; Patrick Dwyer, VP, U.S. State Government Affairs, Mastercard; and Soumya Johar, senior director, Visa. The panel provided their individual and shared insights on how credit unions can plan, adapt, and excel in the payments revolution, according to DCUC.
Breakout Sessions
Breakout sessions during the meeting included:
- The Crises of Strategic Thinking in Management, led by Deedee Myers, CEO, and Peter Myers, SVP, of DDJ Myers
- Charitable Donation Accounts: A Strategic Tool for Community Impact and Brand Differentiation, presented by Andy Roquet, Senior Partner at ECG
- Maximizing Collateral Recovery: A Blueprint for Credit Unions, provided by Anne Holtzman, SVP of Client Experience and Risk Management at Allied Solutions
- The 5 Technologies Driving the Credit Union of the Future, presented by James Gukeisen, Leagues & Advocacy Director at Trellance
- Using Your Balance Sheet as a Weapon – Maximizing Member Value and Growth, led by Joey Vandergrift, Managing Director – Head of Credit Union Strategy at Piper Sandler.
