SESSIONS
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Sponsors/Exhibitors | 2019 Save the Date
Monday, October 22, 2018
Pre-Conference Session
Credit Union Growth Forum
Doborah Boatright, Melissa Marquez, Jackie Moore
This event is open to leaders of credit union with assets of $25 million or less. Come prepared to share and learn. Our goal is to create an environment where you will grow by learning from one another in a collaborative setting by sharing your experiences and best practices. This is also have the opportunity to build relationships lasting beyond this day with organizations that face the same challenges and have successfully grown their credit unions. The focus of the forum will be growth: membership growth, loan growth and business development growth.
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Welcome and Opening General Session
Why Financial Inclusion?
Sherod Halliburton, Gigi Hyland, Melva McKay-Bass, Jonathan Mintz, Cathie Mahon (presentation)
While financial inclusion has been on the rise across all demographics, too many
Americans are limited in their access to safe and affordable financial services. Most
affected are those households with the fewest resources. In this session, community
finance and credit union leaders will discuss why a renewed focus on financial
inclusion is critical to the financial future of consumers and credit unions.
Morning Breakout Sessions
Solar Lending Practices by Community and Regional Financial Institutions
Cheryl Fatnassi (presentation), Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy (presentation), Paul Schwabe (presentation)
Local and regional financial institutions including community banks and credit unions collectively hold $3.6 trillion in assets. These institutions could provide a significant portion of the required capital for alternative energy projects while creating a large investment opportunity for themselves. This discussion will present a recent NREL analysis on the experiences and perspectives of local financial institutions with solar loan portfolios including the evolution of the products and their performance.
Applied Behavioral Economics Innovations
Mariel Beasley, Rachel Van Noord (shared presentation)
Learnings from the behavioral economics field are changing how we design consumer interactions in everything from college applications to depositing checks. In this session, learn from credit unions that have started to apply these innovations to improve their members’ experience and financial health.
Branding to Grow
Patti Barrow (presentation), Brenda Smith (presentation)
Your brand is an enormous asset and helps prospective members understand why your credit union should be their financial partner of choice. Whether you’re thinking of a total rebrand or a refresh of your existing brand, join Brenda Smith, Managing Partner of Brenda Smith + Associates, who worked with the Federation on its rebranding, and Patti Hinton Barrow, VP of Marketing at Suncoast Credit Union and 2018 Trailblazer Marketing Executive of the Year, to learn how to grow your credit union’s visibility, membership and member engagement.
Buffet Lunch General Session
View from Abroad: Credit Union Perspectives from the UK & Puerto Rico
Matt Bland (presentation), Jose Julian Ramirez Ruiz (presentation)
Our good neighbors to the south and across the pond are all facing the challenge of providing consumers with solutions that meet members where they are while maintaining – and growing – sustainable operations. Join us for perspectives on how credit unions in the UK and Puerto Rico are growing the relevance of our movement through service to the underserved.
Afternoon Breakout Sessions
Lending Practices for Low-Income Consumers
Cindy Armstrong (presentation), Scott Butterfield (presentation), Kathy Breaux (presentation)
Join us as we discuss how credit unions can further penetrate their markets in the area of low- and moderate-income lending. Guest speakers will share their expertise in pay day lending alternatives, subprime auto lending, mortgage lending and the strategies your credit union can employ to increase your expertise, as well as your credit union’s bottom line. The session will also explore how credit unions like Diamond Lakes FCU and New Orleans Firemen’s FCU have leveraged partnerships, including partnering with the CDCU Mortgage Center, to advance their LMI loan products and increase lending in underserved communities.
Know Your Members: Data & Digital Marketing
David Harris (presentation), Jake Hill (presentation)
Digital marketing, including social media marketing, is a cost-effective way for credit unions to reach new members and keep existing members engaged. Join us to learn how credit unions are driving traffic to their websites and branches and growing membership, savings and lending along the way through the use of targeted content marketing, search and Facebook advertising.
Promoting an Inclusive Culture
Monica Davy (presentation), Karl Graham (presentation), Helen Steblecki (presentation)
Promoting a culture of inclusion is an important consideration for all credit unions with implications that extend well beyond the human resources department, and have a profound effect on business decisions and growth potential. This workshop will focus on strategies for promoting an inclusive and diverse credit union culture among staff and members through hiring practices, outreach to the community and the expansion of products and services. We’ll also look at a newly launched website, jointly developed with minority designated credit unions, and learn lessons from their efforts to represent diverse ethnicities, gender and ages in their marketing materials.
Breakout Session for Cooperativas
Actualización Proyecto CDFI en Puerto Rico
Pablo DeFilippi, Alejandra Seluja (shared presentation)
El anuncio reciente de la asignación de becas de asistencia técnica valida el trabajo con la Federación, ASEC y el Banco de la Reserva Federal de New York han estado realizando para capacitar al sector cooperativo acerca de las ventajas de la acreditación CDFI. Esta sesión exclusiva para las cooperativas de ahorro y crédito de Puerto Rico se enfocará en pasos a seguir para prepararse para la próxima ronda de solicitudes. También se abordará el tema de compra de carteras de crédito y de alianzas estratégicas.
General Session
Mission and Margin
Charlotte Ducksworth (presentation), Winona Nava (presentation), Luis Pastor (presentation)
A focus on community development and financial inclusion doesn’t have to come at the expense of financial performance. It is possible to do well by doing good! The leaders of DC Credit Union, Guadalupe Credit Union and Latino Credit Union – national models for sustainable, responsible financial institutions – demonstrate how mission has driven growth and relevance in their unique markets.
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Business Meeting
Membership Update 2018
Cathie Mahon (presentation)
Special Session
Ask the Chairman
J. Mark McWatters
We’re excited to have J. Mark McWatters, Chairman of the NCUA, on-stage to share what’s new at NCUA, including the new Office of Credit Union Resources and Expansion. Mark McWatters will also be available to take questions from the floor. This is a rare opportunity to share with the Chairman your thoughts about what’s important to your credit union’s success in meeting the needs of low-income consumers and helping your members on the path to financial independence.
General Session
Recent Research: Opportunities to Grow Financial Inclusion
Edgar Hernandez (presentation)
Sponsored by CUNA Mutual Group
In this session, researchers share new findings and insights gleaned from quantitative and qualitative studies with multicultural consumers exploring their financial preferences and attitudes. We’ll examine the differences and similarities between higher and lower income households, and what credit unions can do to better connect with underserved multicultural consumers.
Breakout Sessions
Focus on Growth
Teri Robinson (presentation), Richard Romero (presentation)
There’s no one size fits all strategy to guarantee growth. Successful financial institutions find a niche in the market place that they can “own” that capitalizes on their core expertise and knowledge of a particular demographic, geographic or group. Despite the fact that growth is often associated with scale, growth isn’t just a function of asset size. Learn about the very different approaches taken by two credit unions that have found that niche in their market place and fueled their growth and relevance.
The CDFI Fund & You
Amber Kuchar-Bell, Terry Ratigan
Does the CDFI Fund really “get” credit unions? In recent years they’ve worked hard to do so and made significant progress – but there is much that credit unions and the CDFI Fund can still learn from each other. Please join CDFI & NACA Program Manager Amber Kuchar Bell to hear what’s new with CDFI Programs and discuss your members, your community, and your experiences with the Fund. This will be a highly participatory session, so come prepared with your comments, questions and suggestions.
Financial Inclusion for Latinos
Mia Mendoza (presentation), Victor Miguel Corro (presentation)
The Hispanic community is one of the largest, fastest-growing, and most financially underserved markets in the U.S. Serving the untapped Hispanic market is a viable business model that also fulfills our industry’s philosophical mandate of helping people of modest means. This session will describe the Hispanic market potential, its attributes and how having a comprehensive growth and service strategy can help your credit union grow and provide financial access to this community.
Annie Vamper Helping Hands Award Luncheon
Linda Levy (presentation), Cliff Rosenthal (presentation)
Sponsored by CUNA Mutual Group
We are pleased to honor Linda Levy, CEO of Lower East Side People's FCU and lifelong champion of the cooperative movement, with the 2018 Annie Vamper Helping Hands Award. The Helping Hands Award recognizes individuals who are making extraordinary contributions to the community development credit union movement. Annie’s lifelong dedication to credit unions serving low- and moderate-income people and communities remains an inspiration to CDCU staff and volunteers. The Helping Hands Award honors Annie’s memory and celebrates individuals who continue in our mission of service to the underserved.
Breakout Sessions
Amplifying Impact: Lending + Counseling
Andrea Heller (presentation), Gina Perez-McNeal (presentation), Sarah Sable (presentation)
Financial counseling is a powerful tool not only to help improve members’ financial health, but also to grow your community development lending responsibly. In this session, we’ll hear about how credit unions are integrating Pathways to Financial Empowerment financial counseling into their lending process to increase their social and financial returns.
Breaking the Cycle of Disinvestment: The New Market Tax Credit
Bob Ibanez, Jeff Wells (shared presentation)
The New Market Tax Credit attracts private investment to low-income communities, promoting economic improvement through the development of successful businesses like retail stores and manufacturing. Learn more about this CDFI Fund program from the national experts at Novogradac, tax advisors with extensive experience in affordable housing, community development, historic preservation, opportunity zones and renewable energy.
Measuring the Difference: Performance and Impact of Community Development Credit Unions
Terry Ratigan (presentation), Mike Schenk (presentation)
Does a focus on mission come at the expense of margin? How do CDCUs compare with mainstream credit unions in both financial performance and impact? This session will present findings from the most recent research into the CDCU business model and the measurable differences we make in our communities.
Breakout Session for Cooperativas
Expandiendo nuestro enfoque (Expanding Our Approach)
Pia Longarini (presentation), Jenny Torres (moderator), Fabian Yepez (presentation)
Las instituciones financieras comunitarias son tan vulnerables como las empresas pequeñas y medianas a los impactos de los desastres naturales. Estos eventos causaron pérdidas de más de $300 mil millones el año pasado en los Estados Unidos solamente, y los meteorólogos no creen que eso vaya a cambiar en el futuro. El sector empresarial que opera en áreas vulnerables van a necesitar acceso a opciones de financiamiento y las cooperativas financieras pueden ser la respuesta para esta necesidad creciente. Aprenda acerca de estrategias para prepararse y responder a estas situaciones desde el punto de vista operacional para que su institución actué como un motor para le reconstrucción y revitalización económica de su comunidad.
Special Session
CDFI Fund News and Updates
Annie Donovan, Cathie Mahon (moderator)
The Federation is your CDFI advocate. Each year we give you the rare opportunity to hear the latest news and updates about the Fund from the CDFI Fund Director, Annie Donovan. Credit unions are highly concentrated in CDFI markets and are the best choice for lending effectively in low-income communities. Share your perspectives on why CDFI credit unions should continue to see an increase funding in this very special Annual Conference session.
Closing General Session
Financial Inclusion as a Pathway from Poverty
Bill Bynum, Nisha Patel, Evelyn Stark (shared presentation), Cathie Mahon (moderator)
Bill Bynum, CEO of Hope, will lead a discussion on work from the US Partnership on Mobility from Poverty, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Partnership defines mobility through three core principles – economic success, power and autonomy, and being valued in the community. Bill will be joined by Nisha Patel and Evelyn Stark. Nisha Patel helped to craft this work while at the Urban Institute and Evelyn Stark from the Metlife Foundation has been a leading voice in the field of philanthropy for financial inclusion and health. Join us to learn more about how financial inclusion and closing the financial services gap is a core strategy in this broader conversation about mobility from poverty.
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Post-Conference Session
Pathways Boot Camp
Sponsored by MetLife Foundation
The Federation and Neighborhood Trust Financial Partners invite you to attend the Pathways to Financial Empowerment Counseling Boot Camp, a training that condenses learnings from decades of financial counseling delivery and community development financial counseling programs across the country into a half-day intensive.