Friday, November 13

“The Menu and the Kitchen: Picking Strategies You Can Actually Cook” by Ancin R. Cooley

Most strategic direction is set before anyone writes down the full spectrum of choices. Somebody proposes a direction, the room warms to it, the plan gets built around it. We need a full view of all the options available. 

 

This session puts that step back.

 

First, three words that get used interchangeably and shouldn't be. Strategy is where you compete and how you intend to win. The business model underneath it decides how the institution earns and how it pays for itself. And the plan? That's what people do on Monday. Run the three together, and you get the twelve-month stall: a document everyone approved and nobody can execute.

 

We also separate organizational strategy from departmental strategy, and spend real time on what happens when the two disagree without anyone saying so out loud.

 

Then the inventory. Growth, cost position, brand, segmentation, channels, strategic partnerships, acquisitions, portfolio profitability, geographic reach, to name a few. Every option gets the same questions. What does this demand from the institution? What does choosing it close off? Where do our existing capabilities fall short? 

 

The back half is about what happens after the facilitated session. Someone has to monitor the strategy; Comp has to reward against it; and undoubtedly each strategy creates its own portfolio of risks. All those “things" need a name and an owner or it doesn’t get managed. 

 

After this session, you'll leave with an options inventory built for your institution, scored against your current capabilities, and a gap sheet you can put in front of your team at the next retreat.

 

“Let’s cook.” 

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Saturday, November 14

Operational Planning and Execution: Where Strategy Meets Your Day-to-Day Reality by by Ancin R. Cooley

 

Most of us have seen strategies that live on a shelf. They get there because when the plan meets the operational realities of your organization, past and current, often there isn't the capacity, experience, or structure needed to execute it. In our session we work through scenarios, and we work through how you actually execute a strategy and build the reusable processes that let your execution keep up with what the strategy is asking for.

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Sunday 15

Session I: “Economic and Payments Landscape” by President Jeff Schmid 

Jeff Schmid, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, will provide his perspective on the evolving economic environment, monetary policy, and trends shaping banking, financial infrastructure, and payments. The discussion will consider what these developments mean for the financial system and the future of payments.

 

Session II: “Fireside Chat” with President Jeff Schmid and Dr. Ed 

 

Session III: “Economic Update” by Dr. Ed Seifried

Dr. Ed will discuss just what 2026 is likely to look like for the U.S. economy—cutting through the noise to focus on what really matters for decision-makers. The economic outlook is changing rapidly as new fiscal, monetary, and geopolitical forces reshape the business environment.  Dr Ed will examine the outlook for U.S. economic growth, inflation, interest rates, employment, housing, and financial markets over the coming year. Special attention will be given to the policy direction of the new Federal Reserve under Kevin Warsh, including how the Fed's priorities may differ from recent years and what those changes could mean for borrowers, lenders, investors, and businesses. The program will also discuss federal budget policy, government debt, consumer spending, and the outlook for GDP growth.

 

The presentation will also explore several of the major structural forces shaping the economy, including the economic impact of artificial intelligence, productivity growth, labor shortages, and demographic trends. In addition, Dr Ed will examine how geopolitical developments—including the conflict in the Middle East and their potential effects on global energy markets and inflation—could influence the economic outlook. Throughout the presentation, he will separate headline news from underlying economic fundamentals, providing attendees with practical insights into where the economy is headed, the risks that could alter the forecast, and the key indicators to watch during the next 12 months.

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Monday, 16th

Session I: “NCUA Update” by Frank Kressman

An update directly from National Credit Union Administration. As this session is designed to give our members current, timely information directly from NCUA, the specific topics are left open until just before the conference. This gives the NCUA General Counsel an opportunity to compile the most beneficial information for our attendees and their specific area or type of credit union.

 

Session II: “The Member of Tomorrow” by Sumeet Grover 

The Changing Economics of Member Behavior, Payments, and Financial Relationships

The financial lives of credit union members and prospects are undergoing a fundamental transformation. Over the next three to five years, the convergence of evolving member expectations, real-time payments, digital wallets, embedded finance, stablecoins, blockchain-enabled tokenization, and AI-powered financial experiences could reshape how members access, manage, and move money. These shifts raise important questions about who owns the member relationship, where value is created, and how credit unions remain relevant.

This session examines the forces reshaping member financial behavior and the competitive landscape. We will discuss the evolution of payment ecosystems, emerging forms of digital money, the growing influence of fintech and nonbank platforms, and changing member expectations around convenience, personalization, digital identity, security, and human advice.

Together, these developments are reshaping how members engage with financial services and what they expect from their credit unions. As financial services become more embedded and interconnected, building deeper, lasting member relationships will be essential to remaining relevant and differentiated.

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Session III: “The CU Tomorrow” by Sumeet Grover 

Rethinking the Business Model, Strategic Growth, and Enterprise Value Creation for the Next 3–5 Years

The next era of credit union leadership will require a thoughtful reassessment of how credit unions drive sustainable growth, deepen member relationships, create long-term member value, and strengthen their cooperative business model in an increasingly competitive financial services landscape.

Building on The Member of Tomorrow, this session translates changes in member behavior and the financial services landscape into strategic and financial implications for credit unions. We will examine how these developments could influence deposit primacy, share growth and liquidity, funding strategies, payments and interchange economics, lending capacity, and the strength of the member relationship.

The discussion will focus on enterprise decisions that shape long-term credit union performance, including growth strategy, business model resilience, revenue diversification, balance sheet optimization, data-driven decision-making, AI-enabled productivity, digital distribution, fintech partnerships, operating model modernization, and strategic capital allocation. We will explore how credit unions can translate these capabilities into measurable member value, greater organizational capacity, and sustainable financial performance while preserving the trust, loyalty, and cooperative principles that differentiate the movement.

 

Tuesday, 17th 

Session I: “Advocacy Consequences: What the New Congress Means for Credit Unions” by Jason Stverak

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The November elections will reshape Washington but the work of credit union advocacy cannot wait until the new Congress is sworn in. This presentation will examine the political composition, leadership, committee priorities, and policy dynamics likely to define the 120th Congress in 2027. It will identify the opportunities credit unions can pursue, the legislative and regulatory threats the movement must confront, and the role sustained advocacy will play in determining which issues rise to the top of the congressional agenda.

The discussion will also focus on the consequential lame-duck period, when the outgoing Congress may consider must-pass spending legislation, the National Defense Authorization Act, nominations, tax provisions, financial-services measures, and other year-end packages. These negotiations could create opportunities to advance priorities such as interchange protection, Central Liquidity Facility modernization, veterans’ access to capital, digital-asset parity, regulatory relief, and preservation of the credit union tax status but they could also provide vehicles for harmful policy riders.

Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of the new political environment, the decisions Congress will face before and after January, and the practical steps credit union leaders must take to ensure lawmakers hear directly from the institutions and members their decisions will affect.

 

Session II: "The Evolution of Digital Crime: How Threat Actors Are Expanding Their Criminal Operations and Weaponizing Emerging Technologies” by Steve Stasiuokinis

More information TBA

 

Session III: "When the Breach Happens: What Every Credit Union Board Member Needs to Know” by Steve Stasiukonis 

More information TBA

 

Wednesday, November 18th​

“Session I” by Lamont Black 

More information TBA

 

“Session II” by Lamont Black 

More information TBA