8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. - Pre-Conference Workshop (separate fee)

Your Comprehensive Guide to Navigating Digital Transformation

Speaker: Sara DeLance, Founder, Digital Transformation Consulting

Join us for an exciting, immersive workshop crafted for credit unions who are ready to explore the art of digital transformation. Dive into cutting-edge scientific research, hands-on activities, and expert-led guidance to unlock your credit union's potential. Discover the vital importance of digital transformation, overcome challenges, and seize unprecedented opportunities. This workshop offers comprehensive, practical learning, interactive engagement through dynamic discussions and exercises, and unparalleled networking with industry peers. Walk away equipped to effectively navigate digital transformation in your credit union. Don’t miss this opportunity to revolutionize your credit union's future and enhance member experiences.

Refreshments during registration sponsored by: MARQUIS

1:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. - Roundtable Exchange (optional session)

The session is open to credit union attendees only.

Sponsored by: interface.ai

The Roundtable Exchange is an opportunity to discuss ideas, best practices and knowledge with other credit union professionals.  The session is designed to be highly interactive, so come ready to ask questions and make comments with your industry peers.  This is a real opportunity to have open and honest communication about topics that interest you – you can bet if it matters to you, it matters to someone else too!

3:00 – 3:45 p.m. - First Time Attendee Orientation

4:00 – 5:00 p.m. - Early Access Sponsor Tour (EAST)

The session is 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. - Conference Kick-Off: Opening Remarks + General Session

Sponsored by: TruStage

6:30 – 8:00 p.m. - Welcome Reception

Sponsored by: MANTL; Spiral; Velera

7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. - Breakfast

Sponsored by: Owl Financial Technologies; Rivial Data Security; Sharetec; WesPay

7:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. - Registration

Sponsored by: Amazon Business

8:15 – 10:15 a.m. -  Announcements + General Session - Disney Institute, Disney’s Approach to Leadership Excellence

Sponsored by: Finalytics.ai

This is your opportunity to learn from Disney Institute and the business insights behind Disney’s success. In this keynote presentation, learn how leadership is more than just a title—it’s about the actions one takes, rather than the position one holds, to create sustained, positive transformations within an organization. You will also learn how great leaders proactively establish values and vision, and operationalize them for the future, as well as how establishing a leadership legacy can create long-lasting, positive impacts on your organization. You will leave inspired and empowered to create a framework of effective leadership practices for years to come.

10:15 – 11:00 a.m. - Networking Break

Sponsored by: QSI; SalesCU

11:00 – 11:15 a.m. - Pass Time

11:15 – 12:00 p.m. - Concurrent Breakouts (5 choices)

Evolving Branches in a Digital Age

Speaker: Kathy Sianis, VP of FI Strategy, Posh Technologies 

Discover strategies to modernize your branches for the digital age by integrating automation, self-service, and innovative design. Enhance member experiences and drive growth by transitioning from routine transactions to expert consultations. Implement effective omni-channel approaches for seamless member satisfaction, transforming your team into trusted advisors. Learn how to balance digital advancements with the essential role branches play in a comprehensive member experience strategy. Adapt your branches to meet evolving needs, fostering trust and driving business growth.

Merger Pitfalls and Considerations: An Expert Panel

Speakers
- Wendy Cleveland, EVP/Chief Operations Officer, Sound Credit Union
- Wendie Ellis, Director of Payment Services, Horizon CU
- Jason Ford, President/CEO, Harvester Financial CU

Credit union mergers seem to be in the news daily. If your credit union is considering mergers, this is a can’t-miss session! In this panel discussion, hear from leaders at small and large credit unions who have experienced recent mergers. They will be discussing merger strategies, cultural considerations, systems integrations, and vendor issues. Learn from these experts to help your credit union successfully navigate its future mergers.

The Power of Instant

Speaker: Scott Young, SVP, Emerging Services, Velera

The speed of digital transformation has rapidly changed consumers' behaviors and demands. As technology continues to advance, today's consumers want and expect instant and on-demand financial services. In this session Velera's SVP of Emerging Services Scott P Young will highlight the growing trends in this space, including an update on the adoption of instant payments via FedNow and RTP. Gain insight into the integration of payment technology in non-financial vertical industries through embedded finance. Explore how to unlock growth through harnessing the power of digital lending, along with navigating the evolving landscape of open banking.  Regardless of asset or membership size, this session will provide practical tips to prepare your credit union for what's next in payments.

From Zero to AI – How to Accelerate your CU’s Data Capabilities

Speakers
- Adam Foldenauer, AWS Manager, Credit Unions, Amazon Business
- Mahesh Marepalli, Ph.D., Vice President, Enterprise Digital Intelligence & Data Engineering, Affinity Plus FCU

The road to data maturity – meaning the ability to leverage your CU’s data as an asset to generate new value for members – needn’t be a multiyear quest. Learn how to rapidly and securely leverage GenAI and data science by using an agile approach. Affinity Plus CU and AWS will share CU industry standards to mobilize data capabilities across your credit union to create a data-as-product culture. You’ll learn leading practices to build data frameworks so that non-technical stakeholders throughout the CU can easily access data relevant to them, and how to fulfill ongoing reporting requests while building advanced analytics capabilities.

Enhancing Vendor Management in a Complex Business Environment

Speaker: Jerry Hughes, Managing Partner, Compass IT Compliance

In today's business landscape, organizations collaborate with numerous vendors to produce products, offer services, satisfy customers, and maintain profitability. The global nature of supply chains means businesses often partner with many vendors, introducing significant vulnerabilities. Over the past decade, vendor-related data breaches have increased, leading to financial losses, legal repercussions, and reputational damage. Severing all vendor connections is not feasible, so leaders must adopt proactive measures to mitigate these risks. Establishing a robust vendor management program is critical. In this presentation, Jerry Hughes, Senior IT Auditor and Managing Partner of Compass IT Compliance, will discuss the foundational pillars of effective vendor management. Attendees will learn practical approaches to streamline vendor onboarding, select new vendors, and assess third-party risks, aiming to enhance their organization's security posture.

12:00 – 1:15 p.m. - Networking Lunch

1:15 – 4:30 p.m. - Speed Round Block 

Join us for the most highly anticipated session of the conference! Experience the excitement of the Speed Rounds, where up to 22 top vendors present their innovative solutions in a fast-paced format. Each vendor will have up to 5 minutes for a demo, followed by 2 minutes of Q&A with expert judges. Discover cutting-edge products and technologies and engage directly with vendors in the exhibit hall to continue the conversation. Don't miss this unique opportunity to see the latest advancements and network with industry leaders!  The vendor line-up will be included on the agenda at the end of August.

4:30 – 5:45 p.m. - Networking Reception

Sponsored by: LinkLive; Tyfone, Inc. And Votiro

7:00 – 8:00 a.m. - Breakfast

Sponsored by: Allied Payment Network; Business Data, Inc.

7:00 – 4:30 p.m. - Registration

8:15 – 10:15 a.m. - Announcements (Speed Round winner announced) + General Session

Sponsored by: OSG; SMA Technologies

This is your opportunity to learn from Disney Institute and the business insights behind Disney’s success. In this 90-minute presentation, learn how excellent service is the result of truly understanding your customer’s expectations and how to put the right service standards in place to exceed them. You will discover how attention to detail can create a consistent, world-class experience, how to be intentional about the design and delivery of service, and the importance of establishing a service recovery safety net for when service does not go according to plan. You will leave inspired and excited to better differentiate your organization’s service to become a provider of choice.

10:15 – 11:00 a.m. - Networking Break

Sponsored by: Millennial Vision

11:00 – 11:15 a.m. - Pass Time

11:15 a.m.  – 12:00 p.m. - Concurrent Breakouts (5 choices)

Establishing Governance and Risk Management Programs

Speakers
- David Shaffer, Director of Specialist Resource, NCUA\
- David Zweigart, Regional Information Systems Officer, NCUA

Focusing on governance and risk management, the NCUA will provide a regulatory view and expectations you can use at your credit union.

How to Raise Deposits in a Raising Rate Environment? 

Speaker: Nicholas Hinrichsen, CEO/Co-Founder, WithClutch Inc

In a raising interest rate environment, 'hot money' is floating around and Credit Unions compete with Chase and other FinTechs for deposits. The solution lies in providing seamless digital experiences for consumers and small businesses. Unfortunately, the current account opening process of most Credit Unions is cumbersome, involving manual reviews of all applications for fraud, leading to a disjointed funding process.  Credit Unions are once again held hostage by legacy software providers.   In order to compete with the Chases or Chimes of the world, we need to fully automate the account opening process. Learn how to remove friction from your processes, address fraud with a state-of-the-art approach and truly lean on the Credit Union's advantages.

Breakout Session #3 (TBD)

Speakers
- Jack Smith, CEO, Pure IT Credit Union Services
- Kyle Stutzman, CEO, Janusea

The ABCs of RPA: How to Get Started with Robotic Process Automation

Speaker: Gaby Saliba, Customer Success Manager, SMA Technologies

With estimates placing the potential ROI of RPA at up to 200% in the first year, it's easy to see why over 40% of FIs currently leverage RPA, according to the 2024 State of Automation in Financial Services Report, with 35% planning to increase their usage this year.  As RPA adoption accelerates, the time is right for CUs who have yet to deploy RPA to capitalize on this opportunity to offload repetitive tasks, reduce errors, and reallocate skilled staff to higher-value projects.    

Learn RPA fundamentals, including:

• How RPA differs from other cutting-edge technologies, like AI
• Why deploying RPA strategically delivers greater ROI (and how to do it)
• Where RPA fits in the broader automation landscape
• How to identify the best RPA opportunities in your operations
• If you're curious how RPA could benefit your CU but unclear on what it takes to get started, join us. 

12:00 – 1:15 p.m. - Networking Lunch

Sponsored by: Eltropy

1:15 – 2:00 p.m. - Concurrent Breakouts (5 choices)

Emerging Risk Outlook

Speaker: Brianda Rojas-Levering, Risk Consultant, TruStage

Keeping ahead of the complex array of ever-changing risks, compliance issues, and industry regulations that are impacting credit unions requires keen awareness, effective preparation, and loss control scrutiny. When risk management is effective, typically nothing bad happens. But, if you're blindsided by a problem, your credit union reputation takes the hit. Don't let not knowing which emerging risks are around the corner take the blame. While each credit union has its own unique risk footprint, this Emerging Risks Outlook introduces risks and trends that should be on your radar. 

Key Takeaway:

• Effective risk management in credit unions hinges on proactive awareness and preparation for evolving compliance,
• Regulatory challenges, and industry-specific threats, and
• Ensuring the institution's reputation remains intact by avoiding unforeseen vulnerabilities.

Empowering Excellence in your Call Center

Speakers
- Terri Baker, Director-Retail Operations, Oregon Community CU
- Adrienne Fischer, Director of Contact Center, Spokane Teachers CU
- Colleen Pitmon, Vice President of Call Center, MSU Federal Credit Union
- Dave Poeschl, AVP, Member Solutions Center, UW Credit Union

Join us for an engaging panel with your call center peers as we dive into the secrets of providing top-notch member service, boosting employee engagement, and maximizing efficiency. We'll explore why having an analyst for scheduling and data gathering is a game-changer, unravel the magic behind one-call resolution for both consumers and businesses and the importance of charting out a dynamic digital roadmap to ensure you're always ready for what comes next.

Breakout Session #3 (TBD)

Speaker: Leticia Saiid, Chief of Staff, CoNetrix

Core Conversions: From Market Search to a Seamless Implementation and Beyond (Session Repeats)

Speakers
- Adam Denbo, Managing Consultant, Samaha & Associates, Inc.
- Sabeh Samaha, President & CEO, Samaha & Associates, Inc.

Core conversions can be a large undertaking but may become necessary when your Credit Union grows and requires additional functionality to meet the needs of your members. An efficient conversion with predictable outcomes can make a positive impact to your members and your community, but a muddled conversion to the wrong system can weigh on your Credit Union for years to come. You can find out what it takes to successfully navigate to a new, better-matched vendor through the proper Search, Selection, Negotiation, and Implementation process.  In this session, you will learn best practices from a technology consulting firm that has guided numerous credit unions of various sizes and complexity through hundreds of conversions. We will review how to establish the proper timeline for a successful conversion, product vs. service quality needs, how to avoid common pitfalls, and most importantly how to prepare your Credit Union staff for this organization-wide event.

Breakout Session #5 (TBD)

Speakers
- Marc Bloom, VP, Core Infrastructure & Architecture, Virginia CU Inc
- David Fletcher, Director, RPA, Quality Assurance and Change Management, Virginia CU Inc

2:00 – 2:15 p.m. - Pass Time

2:15 – 3:00 p.m. - Concurrent Breakouts (5 choices)

Card Portfolio Optimization: Achieving Operational Excellence, Maximizing Revenue, and Mitigating Risk in 2024

Speaker: Nicki Lirot, VP, Relationship Management, Member Access Processing

Join us for an in-depth exploration of operational and strategic approaches for managing card portfolios. With rapidly evolving payment technologies and fraud tactics, learn how to transform card data into actionable insights for measuring revenue, operational excellence, and member engagement. Our focus will be on Key Performance Indicators including Interchange Income, Card Utilization, Demographics, and Merchant Level Data. As fraud is constantly evolving with the advancement of AI and digital usage, uncover how to balance a positive member experience when transacting but also ensure you are keeping your membership safe. We’ll also explore operational and financial considerations for managing your credit cards in-house vs. full service to create a consistent payments experience. By the end of this session, you will be equipped with strategies to elevate your card brand and stay ahead in the dynamic payments landscape.

No-Code Automation: Streamlined Workflows & Personalized Service for Your Members' Needs

Speaker: Jason Miller, Chief No-Code Evangelist, Creatio

In the face of evolving member demands and ever-changing market dynamics, credit unions are at a pivotal crossroads. The digital transformation journey presents numerous challenges, and limited technology adoption threatens market share. Traditional systems often fall short on customization and scalability—this is where no-code platforms come into play.  Discover how no-code platforms can streamline workflows, enhance member interactions, and eliminate the need for additional IT staff and investments. Empower your non-technical team members to develop digital solutions and processes without a single line of code.  Learn how member-centric automation can dramatically improve efficiency and competitiveness. We'll delve into how no-code can automate member experiences, provide personalized interactions, and optimize case management, lending, onboarding, and compliance workflows. We will explore how no-code adoption redefines automation strategies, boosts capacity and agility, and fosters seamless business-IT collaboration—all without extra investment or headcount. No-code is the secret sauce for credit unions looking to innovate, delight members, and build resilience for the future.

Driving Success: Mastering Change Management in Your Credit Union

Speaker: Arleen Scavone, Chief Delivery Officer, OPX-America

Imagine waking up tomorrow to find that every process, every system, and every role in your credit union has changed overnight. How prepared are you to navigate that transformation? This session will explore how effective change management can turn such a daunting scenario into an opportunity for growth and innovation. 

1. Importance of an effective change management framework.
2. Managing change begins with taking an enterprise view.
3. Key Roles and Lessons in Change Management.
4. Incorporating change management into your project management and release management methodologies.
5. How change management can improve employee adaption.
6. Tools, resources, and key takeaways. 

Effective change management creates opportunities for growth and innovation by ensuring a structured approach to transitions, minimizing disruptions, and fostering a culture of adaptability.

Core Conversions: From Market Search to a Seamless Implementation and Beyond

Speakers
- Adam Denbo, Managing Consultant, Samaha & Associates, Inc.
- Sabeh Samaha, President & CEO, Samaha & Associates, Inc.

Core conversions can be a large undertaking but may become necessary when your Credit Union grows and requires additional functionality to meet the needs of your members. An efficient conversion with predictable outcomes can make a positive impact on your members and your community, but a muddled conversion to the wrong system can weigh on your Credit Union for years to come. Find out what it takes to successfully navigate to a new, better-matched vendor through the proper Search, Selection, Negotiation, and Implementation process.  In this session, you will learn best practices from a technology consulting firm that has guided numerous credit unions of various sizes and complexity through hundreds of conversions. We will review how to establish the proper timeline for a successful conversion, product vs. service quality needs, how to avoid common pitfalls, and most importantly how to prepare your Credit Union staff for this organization-wide event.

Innovating Member Experience: Why AI-Enabled Communication Platforms Belong in Your Product Roadmap

Speaker: Pat Reetz, Chief Marketing & Product Officer, LinkLive

In an era where member expectations are constantly evolving, credit unions must embrace cutting-edge technologies and personalized, human-to-human interactions to remain competitive. This session explores the transformative potential of AI-enabled communication platforms and why they should be integral to your product roadmaps.    Here are the top three takeaways from the presentation:  

• Strategic Benefits: Discover how AI-enabled solutions enhance efficient yet personalized communication, fostering deeper and more meaningful member relationships.
• Integration Steps: Gain practical insights into seamlessly incorporating AI technologies that matter into your existing product roadmap, ensuring a smooth transition and maximizing your return on investment.  
• Case Studies and Insights: Explore real-world examples of how AI has led to significant improvements in service delivery and operational efficiency for credit unions.

3:00 – 3:15 p.m.  - Networking Break

3:30 – 4:30 p.m.  - General Session – Cross Council Panel

Sponsored by: Amazon Web Services

Speakers
- Brett Fisher, Chief Financial Officer, Skyla Credit Union
- Mia Perez, Chief Administrative Officer, Coastal Credit Union
- Linda Rossi, President/CEO, Ventura County Credit Union
- Trent Savage, SVP/Chief Human Resources Officer, Mountain America Credit Union
- Cary Shumway, Chief Lending Officer, Community First Credit Union

6:00 – 9:00 p.m.  - Social Event - Splitsville!

Sponsored by: Allied Solutions, LLC; Engageware; Savana; Tangenesis

Join us for an evening of fun, food, games and bowling! Splitsville will play host to our social event. Situated in Downtown Disney, this venue features 20 luxury bowling lanes on two floors and fantastic views of the Downtown Disney® District. We’ll also have a DJ spinning your favorite tunes inside and live music on the covered patio. This event is included in the conference registration fee. You can add an adult guest (21+) for $100.  Tickets must be purchased ahead of time or at the registration desk.

7:00 – 8:15 a.m. - Breakfast

8:30 – 10:00 a.m. - General Session

10:00 a.m. - Conference Concludes

1:00 – 5:00 p.m. - Technology Council Security Summit (separate agenda and separate fee)

Sponsored by: CliftonLarsonAllen LLP

5:15 – 6:30 p.m. - Technology Council Security Summit Reception (separate agenda and separate fee)

Sponsored by: CliftonLarsonAllen LLP

8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. - Technology Council Security Summit (separate agenda and separate fee)