Nearly 70 credit union professionals representing local League Networks from across California and Nevada gathered for the 2024 Leadership Summit in Santa Rosa, CA on May 15-17. The annual Leadership Summit is an exclusive event for League Network credit union leaders to collaborate and create unique action plans that support strong boards and impact local communities, alongside engaging networking opportunities that promote personal and professional growth.
View and download event photos from the Event Photo Gallery.
“The Summit is a unique opportunity for credit union leaders to build their professional network, collaborate with peers to learn how they can impact the industry in a positive way, and develop their professional acumen so they can lead us into the future,” said Elise Schexnayder, California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues credit union solutions and network liaison manager. “The Summit exceeded our expectations and we are excited to continue building to support the success of the Network system.”
This year’s event focused on five key takeaways:
The Leadership Summit kicked off on Wednesday with a cornhole tournament which raised nearly $400 for the League’s Political Action Committee and allowed attendees to network and enjoy the beautiful weather in Santa Rosa. Randy Icelow and Maria Rodriguez of MOCSE Credit Union represented the Central Valley Network and took home the championship trophy for their cornhole skills.
Thursday morning started with a speed networking breakfast—a collaborative activity where attendees asked questions designed to deepen their knowledge of each other to build alliances. Attendees also had the opportunity to hear from new Leagues and Utah Credit Union Association CEO, Scott Simpson, who shared his perspectives on the importance of taking a leadership role in one’s community.
“Our job is to defend the credit union business model and it’s our honor to do it. We need to always reflect on the ‘why,’ but we need to quantify all of this good,” said Simpson.
Five main sessions took place, including interactive workshops and thought-provoking educational sessions where attendees witnessed the power of collaboration, innovation, and collective wisdom in action.
Nate Burns, vice president of sales and marketing at TruStage, a company dedicated to enhancing the accessibility of fintech for credit unions, interviewed fintech leaders from Zest AI, Union Credit, Digital Storefront, and Clutch in a panel discussion to explore how credit unions can use a fintech mindset to solve current problems and use technology to improve business operations and provide exceptional member service into the future. Area credit union executives were invited to join this session so they could hear how TruStage is supporting fintechs to lead our credit unions into the future.
Kim Tucker, executive director of the Impact Foundry, led a discussion focused on building stronger boards to create intentional impact and serve our credit union communities in a sustainable manner while supporting professional development.
On the final day, Humanidei Director of Recruiting Services, Sonya Watkins, CDR, led an inspiring session that energized Network Leadership Summit participants to help them to reconnect with the reasons they give their time and talents to the credit union and local networks.
“We appreciate Ron Kamler of Alliance Reverse Mortgage for hosting the event and providing food and drink to all attendees. We are already planning our next Leadership Summit, which will take place at Wescom Credit Union in Pasadena on May 14-16, 2025,” said Schexnayder. “We look forward to growing the network program and continuing to engage and support the development of our credit union leaders of the future.”
