WASHINGTON — The Defense Credit Union Council (DCUC) has named 10 emerging credit union professionals to its 2026 Crashers class, which will participate in the organization’s annual conference this week in Florida.
The participants were selected through The Cooperative Trust’s Crash program and will take part in professional development activities during DCUC’s Annual Conference, scheduled for Aug. 3-6 at the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa in Aventura, Fla.
According to DCUC, the Crashers program provides early-career credit union professionals with executive mentoring, educational sessions, networking opportunities and access to industry leaders.
The Crashers
The 2026 DCUC Crashers are:
- Tucker Boatwright, social media strategist, PenAir Credit Union
- Devin Camacho, director of advocacy and policy, Canvas Credit Union
- Gavin Dye, consumer loan processor, Community Credit Union of Florida
- Farrell Frazier, senior member service representative, GeoVista Credit Union
- Courtney Horton, branch manager, GeoVista Credit Union
- Alison Malawey, assistant branch manager, Fort Sill Federal Credit Union
- Mayra A. Parra, branch president, American Southwest Credit Union
- Samantha Southerland, headquarters branch manager and assistant vice president, Fort Sill Federal Credit Union
- Mark Wilson, marketing communication specialist, Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union
- Danielle Wold, call center assistant manager, Unitus Community Credit Union
“We’re proud to welcome this year’s DCUC Crashers and invest in the next generation of credit union leaders,” DCUC President and CEO Anthony Hernandez, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, said in a statement. He said the program is intended to help emerging professionals build relationships, gain leadership experience and strengthen the cooperative credit union movement.
Conference Set to Open Today
The conference opens Monday and will bring together credit union executives, industry partners and policymakers for four days of educational sessions, networking and discussions focused on issues affecting defense and military-focused credit unions.
Among the featured sessions will be a conversation between Hernandez and Scott Simpson, president and CEO of America’s Credit Unions, on collaboration and leadership within the credit union industry.
According to DCUC, keynote speakers will include former Polish President Andrzej Duda; Ramón “CZ” Colón-López, the retired senior enlisted adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; retired U.S. Air Force Col. Martha McSally, a former U.S. senator and the nation’s first female combat fighter pilot; and retired FDNY Chief Richard Picciotto, the highest-ranking firefighter to survive the collapse of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
Conference programming also will include sessions on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advocacy, operational strategy and leadership, as well as networking events, the organization’s Hall of Honor Gala, the annual VADM Vincent Lascara Golf Tournament and a charitable initiative supporting the United Service Organization.
