8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. - Pre-Conference Workshop - Derivatives and Hedging for Better Balance Sheet Management (separate fee required)

Speaker: Ryan Henley, Managing Director - Head of Financial Institutional Strategies, Stifel

Regulatory and accounting rule changes have made it easier than ever for institutions of all sizes to implement hedging strategies, and for many, the environment is right to do so.  In this workshop, we will break down the hedging discussion into three, hour-long components:

1. Introduction: Hedging Strategies to Address Today’s Issues

Introduction to hedging through the lens of relatable issues, including net interest income (NII) and net economic value (NEV) risk management from both a policy and supervisory perspective, as well as hedging strategies that support strategic initiatives. The real-world case studies shared in this session will provide context for the more granular sessions to follow. 

2. Intersection of Regulatory and Accounting Concepts

For the last several years, FASB and the NCUA have continued to improve their respective codifications to provide easier access to hedging strategies for institutions large and small. To build a roadmap for practical implementation, this session explores key aspects of the most recent NCUA ruling and critical concepts of FASB’s effort on hedge accounting. This component will perform a detailed review of hedge accounting principles, examples of various hedge relationships, sample general ledger entries and other important accounting concepts will be reviewed.

3. A Walk Through the Hedging Lifecycle

This component will review best practices for establishing a derivative platform, executing transactions, and supporting transactions for their lives. This will cover board engagement, internal processes and procedures, counterparty engagement, auditor interaction, execution experience, G/L and call report process, and ALCO communication.  We will look to create as much interactivity within this component as possible to allow for peer experiences to be shared and discussed. 

Earn 3 Finance CPE credits for this workshop.

10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. - Registration

Sponsored by:  Blackline
Refreshments During Registration Sponsored By: Empyrean Solutions

1:00 – 2:45 p.m. - Finance Leader Exchange (Open to Credit Union attendees only) 

Sponsored by Upstart

Speakers
- Brad Barnes, CFO, Air Academy Credit Union
- Christine Messer, EVP Chief Financial Officer, Heritage Family Credit Union

The financial leader exchange offers a rare platform for networking and fostering connections with industry peers. During this time, you can gain a fresh perspective on challenges facing your credit union and discover new strategies for success by engaging with like minded leaders.

Earn 2 Finance CPE credits for this session.

3:00 – 3:45 p.m. - Mix, Mingle and Connect (First Time Orientation or Solo Travelers Session) (Open to Credit Union attendees only)

Sponsored by National Cooperative Bank

Start your conference experience on the right foot—with friendship and fun! Ask almost any conference veteran and they'll tell you that the connections they make are one of the most invaluable takeaways from attending. Whether it's your first time attending or you're the only representative from your credit union, this interactive session will help you break the ice and begin creating new friendships from day one.

4:00 – 5:00 p.m. - Early Access Sponsor Tour (EAST) Program (Open to Credit Union attendees only)

How would you like a quick introduction to the solutions that will help take your credit union to the next level? Look no further! The Early Access Sponsor Tour (EAST) is a program to give an exclusive guided group tour to our attendees where they can preview solutions built by our sponsors. Your tour will take you on a journey where you will hear a three-minute introduction to the services offered by selected sponsors. Positioned at the very beginning of the conference, this will give you quick insight into which sponsors you will want to connect with in the sponsor hall when it opens. EAST will give you time to come up with questions and scenarios for sponsors you are interested in engaging with which will make the interactions more meaningful and specific to you and your credit unions’ needs. It will also give you a great opportunity to meet and network with your peers to discuss relevant topics and feedback around the solutions. Come join us for EAST!

5:15 – 6:30 p.m. - Announcements & Opening General Session

Unleash the Innovator Within

Speaker: Diana Kander, New York Times Best-Selling Author, Innovation Consultant and Keynote Speaker

In today’s ever-changing business climate, your attendees’ roles have evolved far past their job descriptions. They face a volatile external environment - they encounter pressure to stay relevant to customers - they experience challenging workforce issues - and they are being asked to do a lot more with a lot less. All of this is asking them to be innovators. The big question is, are they doing it the hard way or the easy way.

Diana helps members of organizations who don't have innovation in their job description to embrace and identity as an innovator. Diana will share the key skills and habits that make innovation easier and a lot more fun. And she'll empower attendees to harness the power of curiosity to unlock new possibilities and drive business growth. Attendees will leave this keynote identifying as innovators and seeking opportunities to use their new skills.

ROI & Key Outcomes:

• How to institutionalize curiosity, asking better questions to stay competitive and relevant to your members
• How to determine blind spots within your organization and avoid falling into the “expert trap"
• How to create a more innovative culture that leads to results and drives growth

Sponsored by: TruStage

5:45 – 7:30 p.m. - Welcome Reception

7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. - Registration

7:00 – 8:00 a.m. - Breakfast 

8:00 – 9:15 a.m. - General Session & Announcements

Advocacy and Credit Unions

Speakers
- Richard Gose, Chief Political Officer, America's Credit Unions
- Jason Stverak, Deputy Chief Advocacy Officer, Federal Government, America's Credit Unions

9:15 – 9:30 a.m. - Pass Time

9:30 – 10:30 a.m. - Concurrent Breakouts

Instant Payments & The Changing Member Experience

Speakers
- Shannon Heames, Executive Consultant, Alloya Corporate FCU
- Jim Schneck, Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer, Alloya Corporate FCU

Instant payments are poised to drastically change the payments world as consumers and businesses embrace the capability. At what point will members opt to send instant payments in lieu of using cards, wires, ACH or checks?

During this session, we will explore how instant payments are changing the member experience with sending and receiving payments. In addition, other payment-related topics including fraud, peer-to-peer payments (P2P) and payment revenue opportunities will be covered. Don’t miss this opportunity to review current statistics and trends for insight into the world of payments.

Balancing Margin Compression with Strategic Progress

Speakers
- Rob Johnson, President/Principal, c. myers corporation
- Sean Zimmerman, Senior Vice President, c. myers corporation

For many institutions, the combination of forecasted margin compression, increasing delinquencies, pressure on expenses, and urgency to move forward strategically is creating the need to make hard business decisions.  In this session we will address the following questions:

• Should we stay the course and accept lower earnings for a period of time?  If so, for how long?  If yes, how can we get the Board and Management comfortable defining success at a lower level of ROA?
• What do we need to consider when evaluating realistic funding options and asset mixes and what can we target to help offset the earnings pressure? 
• How do we know if we are spending enough organizational energy on exploring ways to increase revenue while continuing to deliver on our value proposition? 
• How can we approach tightening expenses without stifling strategic progress?  
• How do we continue to remind the Board and Management of CECL's potential impact so that we don't become short-sighted.

Leading Cross-Generational Teams: Valuing the significance of all the different voices on the team.

Speakers
- Stan Hannah, Practice Leader, Talent & Organizational Development, Plante Moran
- Amanda Tom, Senior Consultant, Plante Moran

Leading a cross-generational team can introduce a variety of challenges, from communication to work ethic. By their placement and presence in the community, Credit Unions often represent the fabric and diversity of the populations they serve.  Understanding your team's diverse perspectives can provide insight into how your members may be experiencing services and products at each branch.   During our session, we'll share techniques to identify your talent's current state, communication patterns, team dynamics, and disconnects across branches. These informal relationships serve as a roadmap to creating a more inclusive and innovative work environment for your staff and future leaders and provide better solutions for your members. Amanda Tom, Senior Consultant, will join Stan Hannah, Practice Leader for Plante Moran's Talent Development practice, to share the craft of utilizing network analysis to bridge generational gaps and empower collaboration and teamwork.

Fraud and the Cost of Weak Internal Controls

Speaker: Folashade Abiola-Banjac, Principal, CLA

Internal controls at times can be taken for granted. This session will discuss the high cost of a weakened internal controls framework. We will discuss fraud case studies as well as walking through a forensic event and best practices to have in place to avoid potential significant fraud.

Is ALM Broken?

Speaker: Jim Toliver, Director, Performance Trust Capital Partners, LLC

Did the rapid shift from a stable, low-rate environment to aggressive rate hikes prove to be too much too fast for ALM models? Much has changed for members and credit unions. New challenges demand new strategies. Unfortunately, some are still taking the conventional approach—addressing questions of the future with answers from the past. Ironically, these “safe decisions” often compound risk rather than reduce it, ultimately putting the overall mission and membership at risk. In this lively session, we’ll address the following questions:

• If ALM model is broken, how do we fix it?
• What lessons can be learned from the rapid rate rise?
• Does “rate shock scenario analysis” CREATE or REVEAL blind spots?
• How do we respond to liquidity and COF pressures magnified by new regulations?

10:30 – 11:00 a.m. - Networking Break with Sponsors

11:00 – 11:15 a.m. - Pass Time

11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. - Concurrent Breakouts

FASB Update and Top Accounting Issues

Speakers
- Tanya Medgaarden, Principal, CLA
- Bryan Mogensen, Principal, CLA

This session will cover updates from the FASB with an impact on Credit Unions. This will also go over a few of the common accounting topics that lead to errors or deficiencies in reporting (such as: leases, deferred compensation plans, and others).

Top Margin and Risk Management Strategies Using Derivatives

Speakers
- Alec Hollis, Managing Director, ALM Strategy Group, ALM First
- Tyler Madden, Director, ALM Strategy Group, ALM First

Interest rate risk (IRR) is inherent in any depository's line of business and, when left unmanaged, can pose significant dangers to a depository's operations. In this session, we will discuss the need for effective IRR management, top hedging strategies for various market environments and how to assess hedging performance in relation to the balance sheet. These timely hedging strategies can provide an opportunity to enhance return and profitability through risk reduction and cost savings. Our industry experts will help you uncover the latest hedging strategies to mitigate risk and strengthen financial performance for your institution.  

Key Attendee Takeaways

• Understand which hedging methods your institution should be considering now.
• Define hedging strategies and how they could benefit your depository.
• Evaluate hedging performance to help you identify potential opportunities.

Finance Strategies for Succession Planning

Speakers
- Matt Jakubowski, Vice President, Gallagher Executive Benefits
- Liz Santos, Chief of Staff, Gallagher Executive Benefits

Throughout ups and downs in the market, Credit Unions must continue to support their succession plans with competitive executive benefits and compensation. While high interest rates and tight liquidity aren’t typical conditions to establish retention programs, there are safe and sound strategies for all market conditions to ensure your total rewards program meets the needs of the Credit Union. Join us to learn about benefit trends as well as best practices for succession planning strategies.

Building Financial Acumen in Non-Financial Leaders

Speakers
- Rob Johnson, President/Principal, c. myers corporation
- Sean Zimmerman, Senior Vice President, c. myers corporation

Exceptional leadership teams need an ongoing understanding of how all the areas of the credit union work together, yet many strong leaders cite finance as their weakest area.  It's often up to the financial team to help these leaders gain a solid command of key financial concepts.  

Attendees will walk away from this session with: 

• Simple ways to bring the financials to life so non-financial leaders really "get" how their decisions create financial impact.
• The basics to start with, how to reinforce them, and how to overcome resistance ("I don't understand any of that stuff").
• Effective ways to enlist others to help.  The finance team doesn't need to do it all, but your valuable guidance increases their chances of success. 
• Tools that are easy to use and understand to illustrate key concepts, including the relationships and interconnections of various financial levers.

Concurrent Breakout

Details coming soon!

Maintaining Assumptions in an Evolving Modeling Environment

Speaker: Brittany Clark, Vice President - ALM Advisors, FHN Financial 

Assumptions are a key part of any ALM model.  In particular, the continuous consumer options in non-maturity share deposits expose institutions to the vagaries of human behavior, and those impulses are magnified by technological advances.  In light of these developments, management teams must constantly test different rate and retention scenarios in order to get a complete picture of their interest rate risk profile under adverse conditions.

• Loan prepayment, deposit price sensitivity and duration risks.
• Contrasts between the present, rapid rate cycle and historical experience.
• Understanding the basic measurements of interest rate risk.
• Going further to more extreme rate scenarios and changing yield curve shapes.
• Understanding changes in deposit dynamics in the era of viral social media messaging.

12:15 – 1:30 p.m. - Networking Luncheon

1:30 – 1:45 p.m. - Pass Time

1:45 – 2:45 p.m. - Concurrent Breakouts

Budgeting Best Practices and Lessons Learned

Speakers
- Brandon Smith, CFO, Meridian Trust FCU
- Ashley Vandermause, Chief Financial Officer, UnitedOne CU
- Jeff Welch, Chief Financial Officer, FORUM CU

As the current economic environment presents new and unique budgeting challenges, we will hear from industry leaders on their budget process.  Attendees will be encouraged to participate as well with their lessons learned and best practices.  Every year this session generates good conversation that you won’t want to miss!

Measuring Member Value through FTP Powered Member Profitability Reporting and Analytics

Speaker: Ryan Fuerst, Finance Manager, Golden 1 Credit Union

For credit unions, optimizing member value is vital, with funds transfer pricing (FTP) and advanced analytics playing a pivotal role. FTP, considering contributors and detractors on a member's balance sheet, is crucial for nuanced member profitability reporting. Integrating FTP into metrics enhances insight into contributions and costs, providing a detailed understanding of member engagement. Key metrics like member profitability, risk-adjusted return on capital (RAROC), and member lifetime value enable effective assessments of evolving member behaviors. Finance professionals can leverage levers such as cost efficiency, customized products, and proactive risk management to enhance overall member value. Evaluating new member acquisitions relative to assumed lifetime value guides strategic resource allocation. A holistic approach, integrating FTP and analytics, supports informed decision-making, adapting to market dynamics, and ensuring sustained value delivery to credit union members.

Asset-backed Securities and Asset Securitization

Speakers
- Frank Santucci, Managing Director, Stifel
- Robert Smith, Head of Auto ABS, Stifel

In June 2017 NCUA’s General Council issued a ground-breaking legal opinion letter granting credit unions authority to issue Asset-backed Securities.  NCUA said “issuers of ABS will have more flexibility to meet high loan demand and less dependence on share growth when liquidity is tight. Furthermore, securitization increases available credit to consumers and businesses and will mitigate a material amount of credit risk through transference of that risk to investors.”  NCUA is exactly right in their assessment!

Since that Legal Opinion Letter there have been a dozen credit union issued ABS deals totaling over $3 Billion worth of auto loans.   Over half those deals were done in the past 18 months.

This session will detail the process of securitizing loans, the costs, benefits and risks of issuing ABS and give examples of some of the different structures that can be created and pros and cons of each.

Exploring the Evolution: Generative AI’s Impact on Financial Services

Speakers
- Sam Das, VP, Corporate Development & TruStage Ventures
- Rutul Davé, co-founder & CTO, Maxwell

From evolving customer experiences to optimizing backend operations, Generative AI is reshaping the entire financial ecosystem. This session will highlight, case studies, and predictions on how Generative AI technologies are redefining banking. From enhancing personalized member services to streamlining risk assessment and fraud detection, discover the ways in which Generative AI can drive innovation and competitiveness for your credit union.

Advanced Liquidity Management & Funding Strategies

Speaker: Gavin Montgomery, Director, ALM First

With liquidity continuing to be a hot topic, now is the time to ensure that you are taking a disciplined approach to asset pricing and have adequate liquidity sources available for your institution. In this advanced session, we'll discuss current industry trends, review elements of proper liquidity management, and explore effective funding strategies. Beyond certificate specials and other deposit gathering techniques, we'll share the potential benefits of the secondary loan market and issuing asset-backed securities, along with fundamentals of evaluating various liquidity sources using marginal cost analysis within an asset-liability management framework. 

Key Takeaways

• Evaluate asset pricing in a risk-adjusted return model.
• Analyze marginal cost of various funding options.
• Understand the merits of the secondary loan market in your liquidity toolkit.

2:45 – 3:15 p.m. - Networking Break with Sponsors

3:15 – 4:45 p.m. - Pass Time

3:30 – 4:45 p.m. - General Session - Perspectives on the Future of Mergers…and Acquisitions

Speaker: Steve Langley, Managing Director, Strategic Advisory Services, Sievewright & Associates

In this session, Steve will share his observations and personal experiences as a ‘veteran’ of four credit union mergers over his 30+ year career in the industry.  He will provide insights into the redefining trends within the financial services industry with a closer look into what those in the credit union space are facing.   This will include the ever-increasing pressures; from the impacts of increasing interest rates to pursuit of ‘scale’ to remain relevant in this very competitive environment.  Steve will include some interesting data points and trends regarding the acquisition of community-based banks by credit unions.  He will end with a high-level overview of the steps a credit union would need to consider as they contemplate this endeavor.

6:00 – 8:30 p.m. - Social Event - Casino Night on the Lawn

Get ready for an electrifying Casino Night on the Lawn! Dive into the excitement of table games, music, and mouthwatering food and drinks. Plus, there are exciting PRIZES up for grabs!

This event is included in the conference registration fee. You can add an adult guest (21+) for $99.  Tickets must be purchased ahead of time or at the registration desk.

7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. - Registration

7:00 – 8:00 a.m. - Breakfast 

8:00 – 9:15 a.m. - General Session & Announcements

Leadership in the Age of Disruption: Winning Strategies for Turbulent Times

Speaker: Jay Bilas, Renowned ESPN Analyst, Best-Selling Author, and Leadership Expert

Jay Bilas focuses on how effective leadership can guide an organization through times of rapid change. Jay draws parallels between leadership in sports and corporate leadership, emphasizing adaptability, resilience as key strategies for success in today's fast-paced and changing business environment. He provides practical and actionable advice on how to lead effectively through disruption, uncertainty, and crisis while staying true to one's values and vision.

9:15 – 9:30 a.m. - Pass Time

9:30 – 10:30 a.m. - Concurrent Breakouts

Taking the Month-End Close to the Next Level (Session Repeats)

Speaker: Nancy Wu, Head of Product, SkyStem

The session will be focused on our top 8 tips for infusing more efficiency and infrastructure into the month-end close process and taking it to the next level. These top tips include: 

1. Automating the closing checklist through automation
2. Reducing the number of reconciliations through automation
3. Standardize reconciliation preparation
4. Tracking and resolving open items
5. Perform post mortem analysis and process improvement
6. Reduce dependencies on spreadsheets
7. Establishing stronger audit trails through automation
8. Eliminating paper 

Where relevant, we will use customer case studies and real examples to illustrate.

Maximizing Portfolio Performance Through the Turn in the Cycle

Speaker: Steve Twersky, EVP, FHN Financial Memphis TN

The Fed will almost certainly begin to ease rates lower this year given recent successes in reducing inflation.  But the impact of their 525 basis points increase in the overnight rate in 2022 and 2023 will be with us for some time.  Unrealized losses, while abating to some degree, remain at their highest level in years and many credit unions have not had the liquidity to add a meaningful degree of higher yielding bonds to the investment portfolio.   This session will focus on maximizing yield within the confines of proper IRR and NEV management. 

Topics include:

• When does it make sense to book a bond loss and how to best evaluate.
• Using prefunding strategies to accelerate reloading higher yields in the portfolio.
• How floating rate securities can be used to shorten portfolio duration.
• What sectors provide the best overall value.
• CECL and bonds – how are credit unions faring?

It's All B.S.! Understanding Cultural Differences and Behavioral Science to Improve Your Members’ Financial Well-Being

Speaker: Edgar Hernandez, Senior Manager, Multicultural Business Strategy, TruStage

We are all prone to biases, both in our professional and personal lives.  Are you using legacy IT systems that only accept certain numbers or characters to serve consumers that may not fit a traditional approach? Are you offering the same product to members without taking into consideration their financial worries and concerns? Do financial incentives always drive desired outcomes, and are budgeting techniques created equal?  This session will expose some flaws in our thinking, as credit union professionals, and will make you reconsider how to best serve your members and meet their financial needs.  If you’re a CEO, CFO, marketing, branch operations, financial wellness, or human resources professional, you won’t want to miss this session!  

From Overdrafts to Opportunity: Fresh Approaches to Credit Union Revenue

Speakers
- Heather Morris, AVP of Accounting, CapEd Federal Credit Union
- Brittni Terry, AVP of Finance and Business Intelligence, OUCU Financial
- Jeremy Zager, Chief Financial Officer, Dort Financial Credit Union

Credit Union professionals come together to share their pioneering strategies for diversifying non-interest income sources beyond traditional overdraft fees. Each brings a unique perspective – including aligning new fees with core values and mission, servicing niche markets, third-party insurance products, and ventures into investment services, among others. This panel promises a comprehensive exploration of creative non-interest income avenues, offering actionable insights and best practices tailored for Credit Unions aiming for sustainable financial growth and enhanced member value.

The Rapidly Emerging Market for Credit Union Subordinated Debt

Speakers
- Michael Macchiarola, CEO, Olden Lane
- Dan Prezioso, Partner, Olden Lane

Evolving regulation, market factors and industry adoption has spurred exponential growth of Subordinated Debt. What are the critical considerations you should consider as an issuer and as an investor?

From the issuer perspective, we describe the related planning process and preparation of an application for necessary NCUA approval. We discuss common business objectives, related financial analysis and the components of a thorough application. Finally, we explain the issuance process, including options for packaging an offering for maximum investor interest and the sequence of events during an offering.

From the investor perspective, we describe aspects of subordinated notes necessary to evaluate the related credit, interest rate and liquidity risks. We will summarize applicable regulatory requirements related to concentration limits and other related controls and describe steps of thorough investment due diligence.

10:30 – 11:00 a.m. - Networking Break with Sponsors

11:00 – 11:15 a.m. - Pass Time

11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. - Concurrent Breakouts

Taking the Month-End Close to the Next Level

Speaker: Nancy Wu, Head of Product, SkyStem

The session will be focused on our top 8 tips for infusing more efficiency and infrastructure into the month-end close process and taking it to the next level. These top tips include: 

1. Automating the closing checklist through automation
2. Reducing the number of reconciliations through automation
3. Standardize reconciliation preparation
4. Tracking and resolving open items
5. Perform post-mortem analysis and process improvement
6. Reduce dependencies on spreadsheets
7. Establishing stronger audit trails through automation
8. Eliminating paper 

Where relevant, we will use customer case studies and real examples to illustrate.

Metrics That Matter: Redefining Success in Credit Union Growth

Speaker: Alix Patterson, Chief Experience Officer, Callahan & Associates, Inc.

Growth has come relatively easily for credit unions over the past few decades. Often, executive goals are tied to membership, loan, or – as over the last 18 months – deposit growth. But growth is an outcome of a successful strategy, not a strategy in and of itself. By focusing on the end (growth), not the inputs, credit unions can get stuck chasing the wrong metrics. 

In this presentation, Callahan will showcase the Sustainable Growth Framework (SGF) which puts the emphasis on the inputs of a growth strategy including a well-articulated and embedded purpose, empowered employees, and engaged members who fuel stakeholder impact. 

Key Takeaways:

• How to create engaged employees by connecting your products and services to a greater purpose.
• Why engaged employees have the power to create connections with members that lead to more profitable relationships.
• What reinvesting a healthy bottom line means for generating stakeholder impact in the community.

Building Financial Acumen in Non-Financial Leaders

Speakers
- Rob Johnson, President/Principal, c. myers corporation
- Sean Zimmerman, Senior Vice President, c. myers corporation

Exceptional leadership teams need an ongoing understanding of how all the areas of the credit union work together, yet many strong leaders cite finance as their weakest area.  It's often up to the financial team to help these leaders gain a solid command of key financial concepts.  

Attendees will walk away from this session with: 

• Simple ways to bring the financials to life so non-financial leaders really "get" how their decisions create financial impact.
• The basics to start with, how to reinforce them, and how to overcome resistance ("I don't understand any of that stuff").
• Effective ways to enlist others to help.  The finance team doesn't need to do it all, but your valuable guidance increases their chances of success. 
• Tools that are easy to use and understand to illustrate key concepts, including the relationships and interconnections of various financial levers.

Mergers & Acquisitions Panel

Speakers
- Brett Fisher, Chief Financial Officer, Skyla Credit Union
- David Linderman, SVP - Finance & Accounting/CFO, Azura Credit Union
- David Milkes, Director of M&A and Strategic Services, Financial Institutions Group, Doeren Mayhew
- Gary E. Schuette II, President/CEO, Oregon State Credit Union

Get an inside look into keys to a successful M&A transaction, what you should consider in a merger and acquisition and much more in this engaging expert panel. They will provide an insider’s perspective on successful credit union mergers, bank acquisitions, CUSO transactions and more.

Strategic Balance Sheet Management. Navigating Rate Volatility

Speakers
- John Toohig, Head of Whole Loan Trading, Managing Director, Raymond James
- Elisabeth Vogel, Head of Financial Institution Strategy, Raymond James

Net interest margin compression and capital requirements have been a challenge for credit unions throughout this rate cycle. Go on offense and position the balance sheet to best benefit your institution. The balance sheet restructuring trade has taken shape in the latter part of 2023 and has continued into 2024. Evaluate all your options as you look to the bond portfolio, the loan portfolio, and other hard assets for liquidity and earnings.

12:15 – 1:30 p.m. - Networking Luncheon

1:30 – 1:45 p.m. - Pass Time

1:45 – 2:45 p.m. - Concurrent Breakouts

Redefining Credit Union Profitability: A Philosophical Exploration

Speakers
- Sara Peterson, AVP of Financial Planning and Analysis, Fox Communities Credit Union
- Nikola Schaumberg, Chief Financial Officer, Fox Communities Credit Union

Join us for a groundbreaking presentation reimagining Credit Union profitability. We've developed a philosophical approach transcending numbers, starting from individual accounts and rolling up insights to product, member, and organizational profitability. Our methodology considers nuanced attribution for each account and member, moving beyond simplistic branch-based models. We explore the dynamic role of channels in shaping profitability, unlocking growth opportunities. Expect an engaging discussion that leaves you inspired to explore new horizons. Don't miss this transformative conversation shaping the future of Credit Union operations, offering a fresh perspective rooted in member empowerment and sustainable growth.

Performance Benchmarking in The Age of Artificial Intelligence

Speakers
- Jearil Crawford, Advisor, Cornerstone Advisors
- Jeffrey Rice, Vice President Business Development, Cornerstone Advisors
- Eric Wieikart, Partner, Cornerstone Advisors

In the age of artificial intelligence, how best do we empower CFO's and Credit Union Leaders to efficiently and effectively assess and measure the impact of their actions.  How can existing systems and interactive AI help them to make faster, and more productive data-driven decisions in optimizing performance and staying competitive.

Cybersecurity Hot Topics for Finance Executives

Speaker: Colin Taggart, Principal, Plante Moran

As credit unions continue to improve their security environments, attackers continue to evolve their attack tactics as well.  Along the way, regulators continue to add to control expectations, both assisting with guidance on key control concepts, while also increasing the compliance requirements.  In this session, we’ll discuss recent hacking trends targeting employees in finance departments, as well as what we as leaders can do to prepare the entire organization for the future. Following this session, attendees will be able to:

• Understand recent attack trends and how to protect Finance/Accounting teams from falling victim
• Know what questions you should be asking your IT/security team to build a strong baseline knowledge of your organization’s security posture.
• Understand the latest security concerns and regulatory requirements which create risk for every organization.

Visual Reporting – Integrating Story Telling at your Credit Union

Speaker: Heather Hinchley, Senior Solutions Engineer, Syntellis Performance Solutions

Spreadsheet reporting can no longer bear the full weight of your reporting needs. Graphics, charts, and other visual tools get the story across quicker. More and more institutions are incorporating visual, interactive reporting forms and dashboards into their standard report tools. Join us for a presentation on developing content for your internal audience using visual reports.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the advantages and limitations of visual reporting.
• Gain a starting point for incorporating a visual report portfolio at your company.
• Walk away with several concrete, practical report examples to use.

Economic Position & Going Forward Strategies (Session Repeats)

Speaker: Charley McQueen, President, McQueen Financial Advisors

Join us for a high-energy presentation on the current economic position and a forecast of the future. This presentation focuses on your needs as a Credit Union and how to prepare for the future.

This session will cover:

• Interest Rates
• Projections for loan product growth expansion
• Projections for deposit product growth
• Managing capital to meet growth strategies
• Regions to be cautious about economically
• Analysis and projections for inflation and employment

2:45 – 3:15 p.m. - Networking Break with Sponsors

3:15 – 4:45 p.m. - Pass Time

3:30 – 4:30 p.m. - Concurrent Breakouts

Integrating Stress Testing into Your Risk Management Practices

Speaker: Cassidy Burrows, General Manager - Portfolio Analytics, nCino

Only the largest banks should worry about stress testing, right? In this session, we will discuss why stress testing should be an integral part of your risk management practices, regardless of the size of your institution. We will include several interesting examples that show how stress testing can help you identify and measure risks that you might not otherwise see and how to proactively mitigate areas of concern.   

Key takeaways

• Learn why stress testing is a key component of a solid risk management practice 
• See real-world use cases that demonstrate how and why to stress your various loan portfolio
• Explore ideas to mitigate areas of risk that might be discovered during stress testing.

Leading New Teams That Do Not Want to Be Led

Speaker: Jennifer Klein, Finance VP, Interra CU

In this session, I will share my experiences of leading a team that was disengaged, disenchanted, and overall burned out.  I will share my successes and my failures, my mistakes and my growth at being not just a Finance Manager but to being a Leader.

Regulatory Compliance Risks Impacting Budgets in 2024

Speaker: John Zasada, Principal, Doeren Mayhew

You're in a finance role, so why care about regulatory compliance, right? Although you are not responsible for compliance at your credit union, you should have a clear understanding of the areas of compliance posing the most risk in 2024. That way you can stave off lawsuits, enforcement actions and poor exams, while not wasting resources on low-risk compliance areas. Join Doeren Mayhew's John Zasada as he discusses the highest potential compliance risk areas, violation costs and the likelihood of a penalty if the risks are not managed. In addition, hear real stories of lawsuits and enforcement actions, and what could have been done/spent to avoid them. This is an opportunity to learn how to best manage the budget, while reducing compliance risk.

Economic Position & Going Forward Strategies (Session Repeats)

Speaker: Charley McQueen, President, McQueen Financial Advisors

Join us for a high-energy presentation on the current economic position and a forecast of the future. This presentation focuses on your needs as a Credit Union and how to prepare for the future.

This session will cover:

• Interest Rates
• Projections for loan product growth expansion
• Projections for deposit product growth
• Managing capital to meet growth strategies
• Regions to be cautious about economically
• Analysis and projections for inflation and employment

4:30 – 5:30 p.m. - Networking Reception

7:30 – 8:30 a.m. - Breakfast

8:30 – 9:45 a.m. - General Session – Cross Council Panel

9:45 – 10:00 a.m. - Pass Time

10:00 – 11:15 a.m. - Closing General Session