Recap: Inclusiv at GAC!

The CUNA Government Affairs Conference (GAC) held its first in-person gathering since 2020. Inclusiv's team showed up in full force with ten staff members in attendance. For some of our staff, this was our first time meeting one another in-person, after working remotely for so long. This was also a welcome opportunity to reconnect with members, partners and the credit union industry as a whole.

The gathering reflected a noticeable increase in awareness of the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within the credit union industry. The Inclusiv mission is being acknowledged and embraced like never before,with credit unions of all sizes looking inward, adopting the values of DEI and looking for new ways to reflect the communities they serve. This year, Inclusiv along with the African American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC), National Association of Latino Credit Unions & Professionals (NLCUP)and CU Pride hosted the first #DEITuesday, a series of events on March 1st. A number of Inclusiv partners were also recognized with awards.

In addition, our annual CDFI Credit Union Update and Juntos Avanzamos Roundtable Breakfast both had full capacity attendance and engagement, further illustrating the growth of our movement for financial inclusion.

See below for highlights of Inclusiv's time at GAC:

Small CU Roundtable

We started things off on Sunday, February 27 with the Small CU Roundtable. A key topic in the discussion was talent. Panelists spoke about developing employees from within, offering competitive salaries, and getting creative in appealing to prospective talent using the credit union's story. Inclusiv members and partners were in attendance including Hank Hubbard, President/CEO, One Detroit CU (MI), Sue Cuevas, President/CEO, Nueva Esperanza FCU (OH), Kathy Chartier, President/CEO of Members CU (CT), and the members of the Faith Based Credit Union Alliance (FBCUA) from Chicago, IL.

Inclusiv CDFI Credit Union Update

The seats were filled with community development credit unions, state credit union leagues, and community supporters as Inclusiv opened the 10th Annual CDFI CU Update. The session began with a candid conversation between U.S. Senator Mark Warner and Inclusiv CEO Cathie Mahon outlining current affairs, the widening national discussion of community development finance and the impact of CDFIs on the communities they serve.

This opening conversation was followed by a presentation by Inclusiv CDFI Program Director Chriselle Martinez and Terry Ratigan, Inclusiv Senior Consultant, providing an update on the CDFI industry, the impact of credit unions providing pandemic relief, and the challenges and opportunities facing our industry.

The convening was closed out with a panel discussion on community development advocacy at the state and federal levels featuring Alane Dent,
Corporate and Legislative Affairs Consultant with CUNA Mutual Group; Juan Fernandez Ceballos, President of the Credit Union Association of New Mexico; and Rebecca O’Connell, Government Affairs expert at Lake Trust FCU. The panel emphasized ways CDFIs can come together and leverage current awareness of their strong impact in underserved communities.

Those who registered for the Roundtable will be getting the materials later this week. Thank you to sponsors National Cooperative Bank and MemberClose for their support to make this roundtable possible.

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Jodie Harris on Upcoming CDFI Opportunities

Continuing the conversation on CDFI certification, Cathie Mahon interviewed Jodie Harris, Director of the CDFI Fund, for a recorded discussion. The discussion centered around the Minority Lending Program. They discussed what MLP grant applicants should expect - the timeline, structure and how the funds can likely do the most good in communities of color. Watch here

Breakout Session: The Real Real on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

On February 28 the breakout session titled, The Real Real on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion featured the following star-studded lineup:

• Pablo DeFilippi, EVP, Inclusiv Network, Inclusiv
• Renee Sattiewhite, CEO, African-American CU Coalition
• Diana Hastings, Executive Director, National Association of Latino CU Professionals
• Zach Christensen, Co-founder, CU-Pride, Director of DEI and Communications, Mitchell Stankovic & Associates
• Victor Corro, Chair, CU DEI Collective, CEO, Coopera Consulting
• Juan Fernandez Ceballas, President/CEO, Credit Union Association of New Mexico (moderator)

The panel discussed how the events of the pandemic and the murder of George Floyd sparked a long overdue conversation within the industry on DEI and taking action toward economic racial equity for communities of color. The session even sparked headlines from American Banker, CU Today and CUNA News. Watch the full recording of the session here.

Inclusiv/Juntos Avanzamos Roundtable Breakfast

As part of DEI Tueday, Juntos Avanzamos hosted its Fifth Annual Roundtable. It was a full house! The roundtable focused on hot button issues such as financial inclusion strategies and ITIN Lending. After a brief overview provided by Pablo DeFilippi and René Vargas Martínez about the growth of Juntos Avanzamos in 2021, an all-star panel of financial inclusion experts, Samira Salem, VP of DEI at CUNA Mutual, Miguel Polanco, Director at the NCUA's OMWI and, Victor Corro, CEO at Coopera, led a discussion on how serving the underserved is the right thing to do, and a catalyst for credit union growth.

Then, two leaders from Juntos Avanzamos designated credit unions, Steve Pagenstecher, CIO at Point West, and Megan Snyder, AVP of Partnerships at Unitus Community Credit Union, shared their experiences with ITIN lending and financial inclusion, focusing on the operational transformation that takes place when credit unions expand their lending, and the incredible effects it can have on loan and membership growth.

The roundtable ended on a high note, as J. Kevin Ryan, retired CEO from Financial Center First Credit Union in Indianapolis, IN, received the first ever Juntos Avanzamos Champion Award. Cathie Mahon, our President & CEO and Inclusiv Network EVP Pablo DeFilippi presented Mr. Ryan with the award in recognition of his commitment to serving and empowering Hispanic communities in the state of Indiana. His engagement with Mexican consular authorities in the early 2000s served as a precursor to the partnerships between Ventanilla de Asesoría Financieras (VAF) and credit unions throughout the country. Congratulations!

Thank you to sponsors MemberClose and Agent IQ for their support to make this roundtable possible.

#DEITuesday

For the first time in GAC history, Inclusiv/Juntos Avanzamos , AACUC, the CU DEI Collective, CU Pride, Coopera, Humanidei, NLCUP and Mitchell, Stankovic and Associates hosted a a series of events focused on DEI, and how credit unions can expand their work serving and empowering communities of color and promoting equity. The #DEITuesday events were an incredible success and Inclusiv, along with our partners, look forward to building on this progress for years to come!

Congratulations to Our Partners!

A number of Inclusiv members, partners and friends were honored at this year's GAC and we too would like to congratulate the African American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC), Faith Based Credit Union Alliance (FBCUA), USAlliance FCU, Dayatra Matthews and Mark Cummins on these well deserved honors.

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More Honors