ANAHEIM, Calif. — A record 151 credit union executives, industry partners and other participants gathered in Anaheim for the 2026 Shapiro Summit, where leaders of smaller credit unions focused on collaboration, attracting younger members, lending, stablecoins and making better use of their own data.
The Aug. 21-22 event drew representatives from 46 credit unions and 13 business partners, according to California’s and Nevada’s Credit Unions which hosts the event. The Leagues said nearly 40% of attendees were participating in the summit for the first time.
The two-day conference is designed for credit unions with less than $287 million in assets and brings together leaders from California, Nevada and Utah for education, networking and discussions of challenges facing smaller institutions, according to the association.
‘Small Credit Unions Do Big Things’
Jeremy Empol, president and CEO of California’s and Nevada’s Credit Unions, praised the Shapiro Advisory Committee for its work and emphasized the importance of collaboration among smaller credit unions.
“Everything the Shapiro committee has been able to do these last couple of years is pretty remarkable,” Empol said. “They have become strategic leaders. Small credit unions do big things.”
The Leagues said Empol also highlighted the role of Fuel Solutions and partnerships among credit union leagues in providing compliance, education and strategic support to Shapiro credit unions in California, Nevada and Utah.
The summit also incorporated political advocacy, with attendees participating in a PAC fundraising auction for a lunch with Empol. The fundraiser was intended to generate support for credit union legislative advocacy at the state and federal levels, according to the Leagues.
Reaching the Next Generation
Thinkwise Credit Union CEO Eddie Garcia opened Saturday’s program with a presentation on adapting to change and succeeding in an evolving financial services environment.
“Knowledge defeats fear,” Garcia told attendees, arguing that organizations can better navigate uncertainty when leaders and employees understand what to expect.
Shari Storm, CEO of Category 6 Consulting, delivered the Saturday keynote, “Kids These Days: Capturing the Hearts, Minds, and Wallets of Young Consumers.”
Storm told credit union leaders that long-term brand affinity can begin early in life and encouraged them to establish connections with children and young adults before they reach major financial milestones.
Among the strategies Storm recommended for reaching consumers under age 25 were:
- Sponsoring local youth sports and other community activities.
- Creating kids’ clubs and scholarship programs.
- Connecting with mothers through shared community values.
- Improving mobile apps to appeal to younger consumers.
- Creating more engaging experiences inside branches.
- Developing content for media channels popular with younger audiences.
- Establishing youth focus groups.
- Creating advisory boards involving younger employees.
Stablecoins, Lending and Data
The summit also offered sessions on regulatory and operational issues confronting credit unions.
Heather Line, director of compliance support for the Leagues, led a session titled “Stablecoins: Money Movement, The GENIUS Act, and the Questions Nobody’s Answered Yet,” examining the emerging regulatory and payments landscape surrounding stablecoins.
Marlene Juarez, vice president of professional services and training at Origence, presented “Remove the Roadblocks: Building a Frictionless Lending Experience,” focusing on reducing obstacles in the lending process.
Sam Plester, CEO of Mission Brands Consulting, led a session on using existing credit union data to uncover opportunities to reduce costs and improve operations without relying on outside fintech providers.
The summit also included a CEO Round Robin in which emerging leaders and C-suite executives participated in 10 seven-minute discussions about career development and executive leadership.
Networking continued outside the formal sessions, including a social event at Splitsville in Downtown Disney featuring bowling, dining and team-building activities.
Sponsors Support Summit
California’s and Nevada’s Credit Unions identified CU*Northwest as the summit’s diamond sponsor and TruStage as its gold sponsor.
Other sponsors included:
- Silver: Alloya Corporate Federal Credit Union, Catalyst, Origence and Velera.
- Bronze: American Share Insurance/Excess Share Insurance, Andrew Morgan, DEI Incorporated, Envisant, Eltropy and Mini Branch.
- Raffle: RMJ Foundation.
- Networking: Avexa, Cedar Financial, Coviance, RBC Wealth Management, Right Choice Mortgage, Scalance Global and Vine2Brand Consulting Group.
