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Tony DeSanctis

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Senior Director

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Cornerstone Advisors

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Chris LaVelle

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Founder

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Sapphire Trail

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As Founder, Chris leads Sapphire Trail, a credit union digital marketing agency. In digital marketing, science trumps art and Chris brings a systematic, results-based approach to credit union’s digital marketing efforts to ensure the best advertising performance possible. He has helped credit unions across the country experience record-setting member acquisition rates and grow brand awareness.

Prior to founding Sapphire Trail, Chris spent 15 years at Elevations Credit Union, where he was in various roles, including VP of Marketing. He specialized in digital marketing and lead generation. While at Elevations, the Credit Union was a two-time Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient, the only U.S. presidential award for performance excellence. In addition, under Chris’ leadership, the credit union won the Best In Show MACQUEE award for their digital marketing efforts.

Chris attended the University of Northern Colorado and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with an emphasis in Advertising and Public Relations. He also attended Western Credit Union Management School and was in the 2014 graduating class. In his free time, he enjoys traveling and spending time with his wife and five-year-old daughter.

Bill Goedken, CPA, CMA, CGMA

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CEO

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idea5, Inc.

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Ellen Glasgow

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General Manager, Mission Driven Organizations

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Diligent Corporation

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Ellen Glasgow

Ellen Glasgow serves as General Manager, Mission Driven Organizations for Diligent Corporation, the leader in modern governance providing SaaS solutions across governance, risk, compliance, audit and ESG with $600 million in revenue. In her role, Ellen oversees the commercial team, which includes new and expansion sales, marketing, and sales development for the Diligent Governance solutions that support Mission Driven Organizations (Nonprofits, Associations, Education, Community Healthcare & Government).

Prior to joining Diligent, Ellen was the co-founder of Directorpoint, a provider of board and leadership collaboration software. She was responsible for scaling and executing its go-to-market strategy, with additional responsibility for its sales, marketing and operations globally. Directorpoint was acquired by Diligent in 2018, and as a result Ellen assimilated into the Diligent leadership team.

Ellen holds a MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and graduated from Auburn University with a Bachelor of Science degree in International Business with minors in French and Finance. She lives in Chattanooga, TN with her husband and two young sons.

Joe Karlin

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Karlin Consulting, LLC

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CUES Named Winner of 2024-2025 Amazon Web Services IMAGINE Grant for Nonprofits

December 03, 2024

Madison, WI – CUES today announced it has been selected as a winner of the 2024 Amazon Web Services (AWS) IMAGINE Grant, a public grant opportunity open to registered charities in the United Kingdom and Ireland and registered 501(c) nonprofit organizations in the United States who are using technology to solve the world’s most pressing challenges. The grant will support CUES’ efforts to further develop and personalize its learning platform, MyCUES Dashboard, delivering highly customized learning and development content to help credit union leaders develop themselves, and their organizations.

Now in its seventh year, the AWS IMAGINE Grant provides vital resources to nonprofit organizations looking to deploy cloud technology as a central tool to achieve mission goals. As part of the program, AWS seeks proposals for big ideas on how to leverage cloud technology in new and innovative ways to accelerate impact in local and global communities.

CUES was named a winner in the Go Further, Faster category which recognizes highly innovative projects using advanced cloud services. CUES will receive up to $150,000 in unrestricted funding, up to $100,000 in AWS Promotional Credits, and engagement with AWS technical specialists. Proposals were judged on several factors including the innovative and unique nature of the project, impact on mission-critical goals, and clearly defined outcomes and milestones.

CUES is creating a cutting-edge, personalized learning platform tailored to the unique needs of credit union leaders. By using advanced data analytics and AI, the platform delivers customized content to support leadership development, career growth, and deeper member engagement. By providing valuable business insights, it also helps leaders drive meaningful progress in their organizations.

“We are thrilled to have been awarded the AWS IMAGINE Grant, which enhances the support and value we provide to our members,” said Jerry Saalsaa, Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at CUES. “This empowers us to drive innovative solutions that address the evolving needs of credit union leaders, ultimately strengthening the industry as a whole. We are grateful to AWS for helping enable us to push boundaries, drive meaningful change, and deliver exceptional value to credit union leaders.”

“At AWS, we're inspired by the nonprofit sector's unwavering commitment to preserving the dignity and health of people and our planet," said Allyson Fryhoff, managing director of nonprofit and nonprofit health at AWS. "Our Imagine Grant winners are pioneering groundbreaking, technology-driven approaches that will amplify their mission impact and build a more equitable and compassionate world. We are thrilled to work alongside these organizations, helping them leverage the transformative capabilities of the AWS Cloud to bring these projects to life.”

Since the launch of the IMAGINE Grant program in 2018, AWS has awarded over $14M in unrestricted funds, AWS Promotional Credits, and expert technical guidance to over 130 nonprofit organizations in support of their technology-driven goals. Previous winners are currently using AWS services to tackle critical challenges such as eliminating barriers to food security, improving maternal health outcomes, helping millions access clean and safe drinking water globally, tackling rare disease research, and more.

Over 85,000 nonprofit organizations worldwide use AWS to increase their impact and advance mission goals. Through multiple programs tailored specifically to the nonprofit community, AWS enables nonprofits of all sizes to overcome barriers to technology adoption, while enhancing the scale, performance, and capabilities of mission operations.

For more information on the AWS IMAGINE Grant, visit aws.amazon.com/IMAGINE-grant.

About CUES
For over 60 years, CUES has advanced the credit union movement by developing exceptional purpose-driven leaders who meet the unique needs of their organizations and the communities they serve. CUES partners with credit unions to elevate the leaders of today and tomorrow through exclusive networking and event opportunities, programs that facilitate personal and professional development, and unmatched digital and in-person learning experiences. Visit CUES.org to learn how CUES plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of credit unions.

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