Executive Forum

April 22-23, 2024 |  Marriott Lexington City Center | Lexington, KY

Marriott Lexington City Center
121 W Vine Street
Lexington, KY 40507

The Kentucky Credit Union League is proud to host an executive-level gathering for credit union leaders across the state. 

The Executive Forum is a one-day event with insightful presentations, timely updates and open discussion among your peers who are all facing similar challenges and looking to share best practices and experiences.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:

Attendance is limited to League-affiliated and associated credit unions. This conference is a special occasion for CEOs and their Executive Teams to come together for valuable education and networking opportunities. 

 


 

TENTATIVE EVENT SCHEDULE

All times are on Eastern Time.

MONDAY, APRIL 22

5:30 p.m. Networking Reception (RSVP Required)
6:00 p.m. Dinner (RSVP Required)

 

TUESDAY, APRIL 23

8:30 a.m. Breakfast
9:00 a.m. Welcome & Announcements
9:15 a.m. The Partnership Advantage
John Janclaes, Nymbus CUSO
10:15 a.m. Morning Break
10:30 a.m. Panel Discussion
11:15 a.m. The Effects of Loan and Deposit Pricing in a Dynamic Rate Environment
Tim Gardner, CDC Federal Credit Union
12:15 p.m. Lunch 
1:00 p.m. Panel Discussion
1:45 p.m. Charting the Course: The Industry’s Top Legislative and Regulatory Challenges
Megan Balogh, TruStage
2:30 p.m. Afternoon Break
2:45 p.m. Leveraging Leadership Development to Improve Career and Succession Plans
Tonya Voltolina, Eleven Performance Group
3:30 p.m. Closing Remarks

 


 

REGISTRATION

Education Sessions

Conference Attendee $499.00

 

SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE.  To apply for a scholarship, please click here 

HOTEL

We have secured a room block at the following hotel:

Marriott Lexington City Center
121 Vine Street
Lexington, KY 40507

ROOM RATE: $229 per night plus taxes
Reservation Deadline: March 22, 2024

Reservations on a first-come, first-serve basis. 

RESERVE YOUR ROOM

 

EDUCATION SESSIONS

Topics/Speakers will be added as they are confirmed.

The Partnership Advantage

The shift to online banking coupled with the reach and resources of the big banks has left credit unions and community banks vulnerable. On average, over 900 community financial institution locations close every year. 

To remain relevant and continue serving their members credit unions must change how they do business. Depending on transactional relationships with vendors no longer suffices. Industry players need partners with whom they can form an interdependent relationship and create a thriving ecosystem—one that can overcome the challenges of today’s banking landscape. 

In this session, you will discover The Partnership Advantage which is the mindset required for creating healthy business partnerships for your credit union.  The resources shared in the session will equip you with the tools you need to create partnerships that will enable your credit union thrive. 

Note: A free copy of the book “The Partnership Advantage - How Harnessing the Power of Partnerships Can Revitalize Community Financial Institutions ” will be available to attendees. 

About the Speaker

John Janclaes is a strategic thinker focused on driving growth for credit unions in the new age of digital. His decades of history as a credit union operator uniquely informs his approach to what’s next.

From 2004 to 2021, he led the growth initiatives of Partners Federal Credit Union, which serves employees of The Walt Disney Company and their families. Today, Partners operates 11 branches, serves 180,000 members, manages $2.7 billion in assets.

John is a credit union leader first, but throughout his career, his active involvement as an advisor, thought leader, connector, mentor, and board member with the industry’s largest and most visionary organizations has kept him on the leading edge of innovation. He’s seen firsthand the challenges credit unions face and the next-generation solutions available to address them through progressive technology, people, processes and thinking.

As president of Nymbus CUSO, John leads an organization that empowers its credit union owners and partners to quickly establish niche digital banking to expand reach, deepen community connections and create new revenue streams. Leading Nymbus CUSO is a natural progression in a career of vision and advocacy as he helps bridge foundational credit union strengths of collaboration and member service with new ways to thrive.

John is also the founder of The CEO Corner, an online forum to help business leaders and their organizations (www.theceocorner.com). In recognition of John’s commitment to leadership development, proceeds from the sale of his books, "Doing What Matters", "Constellations" and The "Partnership Advantage" will be donated to support scholarships for business leaders in training.

The Effects of Loan and Deposit Pricing in a Dynamic Rate Environment

In these unique times, it can be hard to discern what we should be doing today, let alone tomorrow, because everything changes so quickly. In this session, we will learn about various topics that in the past seemed like boring subjects but are now at the top of everyone’s mind:

  • Loan & Deposit Pricing – How can we price our loans and deposits in a dynamic way that gives us the flexibility to change them often while at the same time still able to understand the risks inherent in each product. o
    • What happens if we are priced too low or too high loans?
    • Which products should we focus on attracting on the deposit side?
  • Liquidity Management – The days of using a single ratio to manage the institution's cash have passed us by. Now we have to be able to look at several different data points to understand how the members' saving/spending habits have changed and how we can prepare for challenges.
    • What are some sources of data that can help us understand cash inflows & outflows?
    • How many different items can we put into a true liquidity stress test?
    • What balance sheet items can quickly change a credit union's cash on hand?
  • Interest Rate Risk – Remember when we used to talk about applying a rate shock of +300 bps? Well, we are living in that “shock” as we speak. It has been approximately 40 years since the Federal Reserve moved rates like they have in 2022 and 2023. This has placed a lot of stress on management teams to understand how a decision, or lack of one, can have huge impacts. We will tie it all together by discussing:
    • What might be things to consider if we want to portfolio a 6%, 30-year fixed-rate mortgage?
    • Are there risks to a decreasing rate environment?
    • As interest rates go higher what are the items we need to focus on for future success?

About the Speaker

Tim Gardner is the executive EVP & CFO of CDC Federal Credit Union in Atlanta, Georgia, which has over $400M in assets and approximately 20,000 members. He oversees the investment portfolio, accounting, operations, marketing, lending, branches, and the member contact center.

Previously --- Tim was a Sales Executive at CUNA Mutual Group (now TruStage) that covered Georgia and South Carolina, serving 40 credit unions.

During his time at CUNA Mutual Group, he was also the General Manager for Sales and Distribution in the European Segment of CUNA Mutual’s International Division. Tim lead the sales account teams in Europe, managed the Financial Services Programs, as well as third-party relationships while based in Dublin, Ireland.

Before joining CUNA Mutual, Tim was the Financial Analyst for Wright Patman Congressional Federal Credit Union in Washington, D.C. He was responsible for the investment portfolio and preparation of the monthly financial statements. Earlier, Tim was an investment analyst at Merrill Lynch while attending college.

Tim attended the University of Michigan for his undergraduate degree in Finance, Upper Iowa University for a Bachelor's in Accounting, received an MBA from DePaul University in Chicago, and a Master's of Accountancy from the University of Michigan.

CDC Federal Credit Union is headquartered in Atlanta, GA and provides financial services to its members.

Charting the Course: The Industry’s Top Legislative and Regulatory Challenges

Get up to speed and explore the regulatory terrain that lies ahead. Stay ahead of the curve with a discussion that covers essential areas like data privacy, the future of credit union taxation, fee dynamics, and the broader spectrum of financial inclusion. Learn how TruStage is partnering with Kentucky’s Credit Unions and others to ensure success and gain strategic insights to navigate these regulatory waters with confidence and foresight.

During the session, Megan Balogh will discuss how the Corporate & Legislative Affairs team is amplifying credit union system advocacy efforts and reaching out to members of Congress. Efforts have focused on adding our voice to help advance the credit union agenda. 

About the Speaker

Megan Balogh (Bay-log) is Vice President of Corporate & Legislative Affairs at TruStage. In this role, she is responsible for coordinating the development of, and executing on, regulatory and legislative strategy for TruStage. Megan engages strategically with internal and external stakeholders to navigate the public policy environment and advocate for TruStage, insurance, and credit union issues before state and federal legislators and regulators. Megan also provides regulatory counsel to the company’s Executive Benefits group.

Megan joined TruStage in 2013. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Nebraska and a law degree from the Nebraska College of Law.  Megan serves on the Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Council of Life Insurers (WCLI). She is a 2015 graduate of the Credit Union Development Education (CUDE) program, a member of Credit Unions for Kids’ Project 2025, and a former Board Member for the University of Nebraska Federal Credit Union. Megan is Vice Chair for the American Property Casualty Insurance Association’s Cyber, IT, and Innovation Committee and was a member of the Wisconsin Governor’s Data Privacy and Security Advisory Committee.

Megan and her husband, Brad, live in Madison, Wisconsin, with their three daughters. 

 

Leveraging Leadership Development to Improve Career and Succession Plans

Have individuals wanting to move up in your organization? Not sure how to help them or have time to do it all yourself? Track record of promoting people before they are ready? Have you identified the key skill sets needed for each level of leadership? As a result, is this lack of employee readiness impeding your ability to craft a strong succession plan that includes roles beyond the C-Suite? Not sure how to link development plans to growth in role, career pathing, and succession planning?

In this session, Tonya shares valuable insights highlighting the importance of understanding career aspirations of your employees, linking aspirations and readiness to succession planning, and evaluating readiness to next role all by providing robust leadership development to individual leaders or your entire team. By treating these as continuous success loops rather than isolated organizational activities, your employees will engage more deeply with you and your organization will be better prepared to thrive for the long haul.

About the Speaker

Tonya Voltolina is the founder of Eleven Performance Group, which boasts twenty-five years’ experience in the credit union industry including leadership development, consumer and employee insights, sales and service, HR and training, operations, and risk management. Prior to founding Eleven Performance Group, Tonya spent nearly 15 years in credit union leadership, including executive roles in finance and human resources. She has excelled in running nearly every functional area within credit unions, providing her with unique insights which she uses to improve organizational and talent performance for her clients.

Eleven Performance Group exclusively serves the credit union industry providing support and services in individual and leadership development, voice of the member/employee surveys, recruiting and talent management, and organizational development.

Tonya is certified in personal, behavioral, 360, emotional intelligence and team dynamic assessments through the Center for Creative Leadership, Predictive Index, DiSC, EQi, and Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team. She also served as a national examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

Her personal and company’s motto is – on a scale of 1-10, be an Eleven!

 

 

GENERAL INFORMATION

Badges Must Be Worn

Badges are specially marked to determine admission to conference activities.

Attire

Casual to Business casual. Be sure to bring a sweater or light jacket, as personal comfort levels may vary.

Cancellation Policy

Refunds will be issued until 14 days prior to the conference less a $100 administration fee per person. No refunds for cancellations within 14 days of event.  Substitutions accepted anytime. All cancellations/substitutions must be submitted in writing.

Code of Professional Conduct

The registrant agrees to conduct his/herself in a cordial manner. KCUL will not tolerate any registrant who creates a disturbance; is disrespectful to any other registrant, any member of KCUL, its speakers and attendees, exhibitors, volunteers or staff. KCUL reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to investigate any complaint and to dismiss any registrant found by KCUL, in its sole discretion, to have violated the Code of Professional Conduct, without refund of registration fees. 

Safety and Wellness

The Kentucky Credit Union League is committed to hosting a safe event that brings the credit union community together. To ensure the highest level of safety for all attendees and guests we encourage anyone who is feeling unwell or has had exposure to COVID-19 is encouraged to stay home.