Directors Conference

Pre-Conference Workshop
2:00 – 4:00 p.m.  

(Separate registration required. Please email events@cues.org)

Pixie Gray, SVP/Organizational Development, CUES
Session title and description coming soon!

Conference Registration & Welcome Party
4:00 – 5:30 p.m.

Conference Information Desk
7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Breakfast
7:00 – 8:00 a.m.

Welcome to CUES Directors Conference & Opening General Session
8:00 – 9:45 a.m.

Evolve Your Leadership in 3! 
Andre Young, Professional Speaker, Author, Leadership Trainer, & Founder of You Evolving Now, LLC

Credit union directors are volunteers with significant responsibility for governance, strategy, and protecting their institution’s future in a rapidly evolving environment. This engaging session equips directors with practical tools to enhance their leadership effectiveness, strengthen board–CEO alignment, and support a high-performing, sustainable culture. Participants will explore the 5 Points of Your Day, reinforcing that “everyone has 24 hours in a day; leaders use theirs differently,” while gaining insight into team dynamics to better support their CEO and leadership team. The session also introduces The Leader’s 3: Vision, Expectations, and Rules, a simple yet powerful framework to guide strategy, clarify expectations, and maintain accountability. As Andre shares, “You don’t need many rules, but if you don’t have any, you won’t be leading for very long.” Attendees will leave with clear, actionable tools to lead confidently and effectively serve their members and communities.

Networking Refreshment Break
9:45 – 10:05 a.m.

Breakout Sessions
10:05 – 11:05 a.m.

Built Different: The Economic Case for the Credit Union Model
Dustin Daniels, Founder & CEO, Luminary Consulting

Most directors can describe what a credit union does. Fewer can explain why the model exists, what makes it structurally distinct from every other financial institution in the market, and what it is genuinely capable of when it operates at its best. This session is a ground-up look at the economics of democratic governance, covering the market failures banks were never designed to fix, the information asymmetries that make member-owned institutions structurally different, and the principal-agent dynamics that make credit union governance both more complicated and more meaningful than a typical corporate board. The second half moves from theory to practice, spotlighting credit unions doing high-impact work on housing, financial access, and economic inclusion; not as feel-good stories, but as proof points for a model built to do things others cannot. And a challenge to every director in the room to ask how well their institution is actually living up to it. Directors will leave with sharper analytical tools, a stronger sense of the movement's differentiated value, and a clearer answer to the question that should drive every board decision: what are we really here for?

The How of AI: Winning the Next Generation of Members
Craig McLaughlin, CEO, Finalytics.ai

Credit unions ended 2025 with record system earnings, yet the median credit union lost members for the second consecutive year, and the average member is now 53. Meanwhile, the next generation is forming financial habits in search results, apps, and AI assistants, often before a credit union is ever considered. AI is no longer a future agenda item. It is already rerouting how people choose their financial institution. Built for a board-level audience, this session cuts through the hype to the how: what behavioral intelligence and AI-driven personalization actually do, how leading institutions use them to win the next generation of members, and how boards can govern the work responsibly. Drawing on field data from more than 25 community financial institutions, including a credit union that moved from an untracked application funnel to a ninefold increase in application starts in four months, attendees will leave equipped to question assumptions, evaluate management's AI strategy with confidence, and rethink how their credit union wins tomorrow's members.

Key takeaways:

1. A clear-eyed view of how AI is reshaping member acquisition, from AI assistants answering money questions before an institution is considered to the shrinking credit union share of new relationships
2. A plain-language framework (Understand, Decide, Orchestrate, Prove) directors can use to evaluate any AI or personalization initiative management brings forward
3. The governance model for AI-driven decisioning in a regulated institution: explainability, fair-lending guardrails, model risk, and what a credible first 90 days looks like
    

Networking/Travel Time
11:05 – 11:20 a.m.

Breakout Sessions (repeated from morning)
11:20 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.

Luncheon & Distinguished Director Award Presentation
12:20 – 1:25 p.m.

Networking/Travel Time
1:25 – 1:35 p.m.

Round Tables
1:35 – 2:35 p.m.

Board Succession Planning & Development: Building the Board of the Future
Deedee Myers, CEO, DDJ Myers; Peter Myers, Senior VP, DDJ Myers

Who will lead your board five years from now, and is your institution actively preparing for that reality? Board succession is one of the most consequential and most overlooked governance responsibilities in credit unions today. Demographic shifts, evolving member expectations, and the accelerating pace of industry change demand that boards move beyond reactive replacement planning into a proactive, disciplined approach to director recruitment, development, and succession. This interactive roundtable brings together credit union board directors and chairs to examine the full lifecycle of board leadership. From identifying the competencies your board needs next, to onboarding new directors with intention, to developing a bench of capable future leaders. Drawing on DDJ Myers' 35 years of work with credit union boards, facilitators will guide participants through honest peer-to-peer dialogue on what's working, where boards get stuck, and what high-performing governance cultures do differently.

Digital Dollars, Real Impact: Stablecoins and the Future of the Credit Union Ecosystem
Brian Kaas, President & Managing Director, Ventures, TruStage

Stablecoins have become a buzzword in financial circles, but understanding their real-world impact can be challenging - what do they truly mean for credit unions, and how can we approach this technology with both innovation and member trust at the forefront? Explore what stablecoins are, how new policies may shape their use, and what opportunities and risks credit unions should understand as the digital asset landscape matures.

Going Beyond Best Practices
Brian Kidwell, Executive VP, D. Hilton Associates

Session description coming soon.  

Impermissible Investments: Why is there so much noise, and is it distracting credit unions from basic blocking and tackling?
Jeremy DeBruin, Senior VP, Gallagher; TJ Telford, VP, Gallagher

Impermissible investments tied to benefit funding and charitable donation accounts continue to generate significant discussion, confusion, and examiner attention. This interactive roundtable will give credit union leaders an opportunity to share experiences, ask questions, and discuss real-world challenges with peers. Together, we'll cut through the noise, explore regulatory expectations and common pitfalls, and focus on the governance and risk management fundamentals that help keep institutions on the right side of compliance.

Networking/Travel Time
2:35 – 2:45 p.m.

General Session
2:45 – 4:00 p.m.

Leadership to Leadering - The Mindset We Need to Build the Future We Want
Nancy Giordano, Keynote, Futurist, Strategist

In a time of constant flux, the ability to navigate the unknown and deliver exponential value creation are the defining characteristics of successful credit unions. It’s not what we think anymore, it’s how we think that’s important. We are now moving way beyond the Industrial Eras to an age of exponential technological, “intelligence” + societal change that is supercharging productivity and allowing us to evolve our capabilities at blindingly fast speed. This requires credit unions to:

• Understand the necessary shift from traditional leadership to a more dynamic, caring, systemic approach
• Evolve into the practices and mindsets needed to shift from replicating the past to confidently navigating an emergent tomorrow
• Learn how to better prepare themselves, their teams and communities to make better decisions, much faster

Conference Information Desk
7:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Breakfast
7:00 – 8:00 a.m.

Welcome Back & General Session
8:00 – 9:20 a.m.

Future Proofing You & Your Credit Union
Erik Qualman, Author & Keynote Speaker

Credit union leaders this digital decade are made, not born. We don’t have a choice about whether we transform; the choice is how well we do it. The key is understanding and never forgetting the powerful harmony between the offline and online. While technology changes every second, human nature never does. Based on profound and practical research, Qualman showcases the 5 Habits that drive success and happiness for employees, partners, and credit union members. Qualman reveals new techniques, including Posting-It-Forward, Being Flawsome™, Socialnomics™, 1 to 10, and other insights that will transform your audience and organization. Learn how to stay a year ahead of your competition but never a year ahead of your market.

Key Takeaways:

• The five habits of future leaders and organizations
• Embracing innovation by design
• Future proofing your credit union with top-line and bottom-line growth in mind
   

Networking/Travel Time
9:20 – 9:40 a.m.

Breakout Sessions
9:40 – 10:40 a.m.

Session Title & Description Coming Soon
Pixie Gray, SVP/Organizational Development, CUES

The Efficiency Ratio Reckoning
James White, VP, Growth & Market Strategy, Engage fi

Every credit union board already reviews its efficiency ratio. Almost none of them treat it as the strategic warning system it actually is. Boards spend hours debating branch strategy, executive compensation, and digital roadmaps, while the number that predicts whether any of those investments will matter sits quietly in the financial package, discussed as a compliance checkbox rather than a five-year forecast. Rising costs, compressed margins, and accelerating credit union consolidation are forcing a question most boards have never been asked directly: is your efficiency ratio telling you that you can still compete alone?

Networking Refreshment Break
10:40 – 11:00 a.m.

Breakout Sessions (repeated from morning)
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Conference Information Desk
7:00 – 10:00 a.m.

Breakfast
7:00 – 8:00 a.m.

Wednesday Welcome & General Session
8:00 – 9:20 a.m.

NCUA Regulatory Update
National Credit Union Administration

Gain insight into current agency priorities shaping regulatory frameworks, while building a clear understanding of emerging trends and supervisory focus areas, equipping participants to navigate compliance effectively and support sustainable growth in an evolving credit union landscape.

Networking Refreshment Break
9:20 – 9:35 a.m.

Closing General Session
9:35 – 11:00 a.m.

Lead Through Change: Embrace Challenges, Elevate Performance, and Unlock Belief in a Better Future! 
Juan Bendana, Author & Keynote Speaker

In a credit union landscape defined by constant change, “rethinking tomorrow” requires leaders who are willing to challenge assumptions, speak with clarity, and lead with confidence in moments of uncertainty. Yet too often, hesitation holds leaders back, limiting perspective, slowing decision-making, and constraining what’s possible. This engaging keynote equips directors, CEOs, and senior leaders with the tools to move beyond second-guessing and into forward-looking leadership. Juan Bendana helps attendees elevate the quality of boardroom dialogue and contribute more decisively to the strategic conversations shaping the future of their credit unions. Attendees will gain practical strategies to foster open, constructive dialogue, encourage diverse viewpoints, and build the confidence needed to rethink traditional approaches, embrace new possibilities, and lead their institutions with intention into what’s next.

Conclusion of Conference, Safe Travels!
11:00 a.m.

Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa is about 20 miles or about 30 minutes from San Antonio International Airport (SAT).

CUES has negotiated a discount when you book with Enterprise and National for this meeting. You can take advantage of our discounted rates by booking online using the below links. Be sure to reference account number SMB3601 when making all reservations.
 
Enterprise Reservations | National Reservations

We also invite you to enroll in the Emerald Club loyalty program. As an Emerald Club member, you can bypass the counter and choose your own vehicle, earn free rental days, receive arrival & return alerts, receive e-receipts, and maximize benefits while still enjoying our CUES corporate discount. Click here to enroll in Emerald Club (Emerald Club benefits applicable to both Enterprise & National reservations).  

Separate registration required

Your companion is welcome to join you at the Welcome Reception on Sunday, as well as register for any of our optional activities. We also offer a companion meal program, which includes breakfast Monday through Wednesday for $325 USD.

CUES Directors Conference is for credit union directors, board chairs, board officers, supervisory committee members, board liaisons, and CEOs. Consider sending your entire board so your group can benefit from learning and participating in discussions together, and heading home on the same page.

We can also help you arrange a board meeting while you’re at Directors Conference, contact us at events@cues.org and let us know you’d like the details.
 

In addition to the great content and speakers we have lined up, your registration includes:

• Welcome Reception for attendees & their guest (Sunday)
• Three breakfasts (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday)
• Luncheon on Monday
• All educational sessions and materials
   

Yes!  The cost is $195 for members; $395 for nonmembers. For more details, please visit the Directors Conference Agenda page. To register, email events@cues.org. 

Yes! This conference meets the following standards:

• CPE credits earned: up to 12
• Program Level: Overview
• Delivery Method: Group-Live
• Advanced Preparation: No advance preparation is required
• Prerequisites: Not required for this program

CUES is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, through its website linked above.
 

The comfort and well-being of our attendees is of utmost importance to us; we will make every effort to make sure you are comfortable at our events! 

Please email events@cues.org as soon as you know you’re attending a CUES event. Be sure to include your name, credit union, the CUES event you are registered for, and everything we need to know to accommodate your request. 

We’ll be in touch with any questions we have, and let you know how we can help.
 

Suggested dress for the conference is resort casual attire. Although we try to keep meeting room temperatures comfortable, we suggest you bring a sweater or jacket. 

Your companion is welcome to join you at the Welcome Reception on Sunday, as well as register for any of our optional activities. We also offer a companion meal program, which includes breakfast Monday through Wednesday for $325 USD.

ALL CANCELLATIONS MUST BE IN WRITING. (cues@cues.org)

• Prior to 60 days – full refund
• 31-60 days before start of event – 50% refund
• 0-30 days before start of event – no refunds or credits for future events given
  • Due to financial obligations incurred by CUES, no refunds or credits will be issued on cancellation requests less than 30 days prior to the start of the event.
  • Substitute attendees are welcome, subject to eligibility.

CUES reserves the right to cancel or reschedule the event due to unforeseen circumstances, and will refund fees if the event is rescheduled or location is changed and you are unable to attend.