Another AC&E in the Books!

Hi there!

I had an amazing time celebrating 90 years of the Michigan Credit Union League (MCUL) at the 2024 Annual Convention & Exposition (AC&E) alongside more than 1,200 of my credit union family and partners.

In addition to some uplifting speakers and educational breakout sessions, we also managed to raise, as a collective, more than $100,000 for Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals.  With your support of the golf outing, our live and silent auction and the fun run, we are making a HUGE difference in the lives of children here in Michigan. Your generosity did not end there — you also helped us raise more than $40,000 for the Michigan Credit Union Foundation during the opening night’s Corks for a Cause event. This money will go out in the form of community enrichment grants, education and support for our young professional group. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

The AC&E’s Center Stage gave MCUL’s leaders a chance to talk in depth about advocacy — yes, our current and future priorities and obstacles, but also the need for our larger Michigan credit union movement to embrace grassroots advocacy. You may have been surprised to hear our Board Chair Dean Trudeau say he used to think his voice didn't make a difference in this industry. For someone who has been an integral part of so much progress over the years, you may have assumed it was something that came easy to him. Dean’s success is a testament to following your passion and trusting that, with time and effort, everything else will fall into place.

Another hot topic of the week was AI and cyber fraud. We heard from a cyber expert on what it takes to prepare and educate our team on cyber. We also heard from Lamont Black on how AI is shaping our industry.

Of course, the event ended with our awards gala, which gave us a chance to recognize a year of incredible work from Michigan credit union professionals and volunteers. Many of the winners shared touching and memorable speeches that I won’t soon forget.

In some cases, we weren’t just recognizing a year, but an entire legacy. Chief among them was CUSG CEO Dave Adams, who will be retiring at the end of June. As we celebrated Dave’s career, it was humbling to not just hear about his many accomplishments, but to hear how many people he positively impacted during his 27 years in the Michigan credit union movement. It’s something that will truly inspire me as I step into my joint role as CEO of MCUL and CUSG next month.

For those of you that attended, thank you. For those that are curious about this amazing event, join us next June in Grand Rapids when we do it all over again!

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