Centering Our Collaborative Core in Miami

Last week, I had a chance to escape the Michigan snow for sunny Miami, where the American Association of Credit Union Leagues (AACUL) held their 2024 Winter Conference. The event brought together more than 250 credit union leaders, advocates and partners, and this year’s theme was “Comprehensive Collaboration.”

If you’ve been in the credit union movement for long enough, there’s no doubt you’ve heard a common refrain, especially from industry newcomers or young professionals, that goes something like, “I love how collaborative credit unions are!”

This idea of sharing ideas to become stronger as a collective, while it may have become second nature to many of us, is at the core of what makes credit unions different. And it was so nice to be in a place where that concept is front and center.

A primary focus at AACUL’s event was specifically collaborating on advocacy — communicating with credit unions and fellow leagues so we can more cohesively support our ongoing priorities and protect our industry from any potentially harmful policies in the future. As America’s Credit Unions CEO Jim Nussle said during his address on Thursday, particularly stressing the preservation of credit union’s tax status, we have our work cut out for us.

We have to make sure we’re not only on the same page, but that we’re actively showing up for each other. And when we show up for each other, it’s important to remember that we’re also showing up for the six million Michigan members and the 142 million national members who count credit unions as their trusted financial partner.

On Wednesday, I was fortunate enough to be on the panel “DEI — Where are we now?” alongside fellow league leaders and moderated by my friend, and CEO of the African-American Credit Union Coalition, Renee Sattiewhite. The idea behind the panel was to have a discussion about how different leagues around the country are approaching DEI — what strategies we’re taking and the various hurdles leagues may be facing when trying to address what has unfortunately become a taboo subject. The theme of the panel was inclusion and how credit unions strive for thoughtful inclusion of their community. 

All in all, the week was collaborative, informative and, as credit union and league events often are, very fun. Watching the Lions beat the Packers (sorry to my UP friends…) with some of my team in Miami was icing on the cake!

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