EXCEL 22, the Annual Meeting & Convention, is scheduled for June 16-19 at the beautiful Sagamore Resort on Lake George! Come join your fellow credit union professionals and volunteers as we "get back in the New York groove" with four days of learning, networking, inspiration and relaxation!

Friday, June 17, 2022, 2:15 - 3:15 pm
Topic: Why Recapture is the Most Important Lending Strategy for Credit Unions
Handouts

On average, credit unions have just over 20% of auto loan debt with even lower penetration in unsecured loans and credit cards.  This means that your members have 80% of their debt somewhere else, and despite credit unions having better rates, they are losing marketing share. Meanwhile, fintechs are seeing exponential growth.  These direct-to-consumer fintech lenders are using one of two strategies: they are either embedded at the (e-commerce) point-of-sale or they leverage personal finance platforms such as Credit Karma and NerdWallet to harvest demand while creating exceptional user experiences that convert applicants into loans despite high interest rates. Join this session to hear from CEO and Founder of Clutch, to learn how to implement these strategies and provide solutions that allow credit unions to recapture members’ debt.

Nicholas Hinrichsen, Founder & CEO of Clutch

Nicholas Hinrichsen, Stanford MBA and FinTech entrepreneur, sold his last company to Carvana.com in 2017. After staying with the digital car retailer for 3 years, Nicholas and his business partner Chris Coleman left to start Clutch. 

Clutch builds Point of Sale software applications for Credit Unions that turn recapture on autopilot. With $41M in Venture Capital funding, Nicholas and his co-founders are on a mission to help Credit Union dominate consumer lending.

 Sam Das, Managing Director of CMFG Ventures

Sam Das serves as Managing Director of CMFG Ventures, the venture capital arm of CUNA Mutual Group. He joined in 2017 and has focused on sourcing, investing and advising early-stage fintech and insurtech startups. Prior to joining CMFG Ventures, Sam founded a fintech startup and was an investment banker focused on financial institutions at firms including Houlihan Lokey and Fox-Pitt, Kelton where he completed transactions valued in excess of $10 billion.

Friday, June 17, 2022, 2:15 - 3:15 pm
Topic: Discard Typical Comfort Zone CU Thinking - Immediate Investment Portfolio Strategies For A Rising Rate Environment

Utilizing over 30yrs of experience advising CU Portfolio Managers, we will offer you “Out of the Box” Portfolio Strategies that have worked effectively during the last rising interest rate cycle 2015-2018 which will position you opportunistically for the current interest rate cycle.

Tobias E. Timm, Executive Director – Investments, Oppenheimer & Co.

Tobias Timm is an Executive Director – Investments at Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. (“Oppenheimer”) in the East Lansing, MI office. He has over 33 years of experience, having served credit unions of all sizes since 1989. Tobias has experience in strategic portfolio analysis, customized recommendations, and trade execution. He provides bond accounting as well as customized educational sessions. Tobias along with his sons, Isaiah and Noah, form “The Timm Group” as part of the of the Credit Union Investment Strategy Group of Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.

He started his career at Unisys Corporation, formerly Burroughs Corporation. He was also a Financial Consultant at E.F. Hutton (which later became Shearson Lehman Hutton). Tobias also held a position as partner in the national Morgan Stanley Credit Union Group located in East Lansing, MI.

Tobias received a Bachelor of Arts from the Eli Broad School of Business at Michigan State University. Attended the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where his program focused on performance measurement, designing investment policies, and structuring investment portfolios.

When he’s not serving clients, he can be found on the Pickleball courts or cycling along tree covered roads. He lives in East Lansing, MI with his wife of 37 years. They have three adult children. 

Friday, June 17, 2022, 2:15 - 3:15 pm
Topic: Does Your Technology Align with your Strategy?
Handouts

What to know before you evaluate new technology. Learn from an expert in the industry who has helped over 100 CU’s change software over the past 15 years. This interactive session will provide you with the information you need to know about the credit union software industry and how to prepare your team for your next due diligence cycle.

Starla Honea, Senior Vice President of Solutions, CU*South

Starla is an experienced leader in the credit union technology and consulting industry.  Over the past 15 years, she has worked very closely with credit union staff from several perspectives.  Those credit union perspectives include managing software support, guiding credit unions through the conversion process, and consulting with credit union executives and their board on their core technology due diligence.   In the ever so evolving credit union landscape our technology is essential to growing and competing in the industry, please join an expert in learning how to navigate your due diligence cycle.

Friday, June 17, 2022, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
Topic: Tech and Touch - Creating an Omnichannel Experience for Today's Member
Handouts

The rapid adoption of technology in banking coupled with the significant impact of Gen Y and Z’s distinct banking habits have placed enormous pressure on credit unions to create a seamless member journey between online and the branch. During this session you will gain a thorough understanding of the relevance of each branch delivery channel and how to effectively blend the two to increase member satisfaction and better position your credit union for the future.

Jim Caliendo, President/CEO, PWCampbell

Jim Caliendo is one of the banking industry’s premier presenters and retail network optimization experts. A veteran banker, published author, and mentor to fellow colleagues, Jim is the current President & CEO of the highly respected, 112-year-old design-build firm, PWCampbell.

Jim’s journey has been fueled by his unrelenting passion for excellence and continual growth.  His experience ranges from running retail operations at a $1.8 billion savings association to reimagining over one million square feet of retail space. With his insight knowledge, and expertise, he is a leading authority on branch transformation.

Today, as President & CEO, Jim oversees the day-to-day operations of PWCampbell and its four subsidiary companies. His visionary leadership has enabled the company to successfully introduce new product lines, experience rapid growth, and be positioned as one of the most recognized design-build firms in the country.

Combining his vast knowledge of the design-build industry with his previous experience as a bank executive, Jim shows his audience how to transform and expand their retail branch networks, maximize efficiencies, increase branch profitability, and ensure efficiency of operational space. 

Friday, June 17, 2022, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
Topic: Contact Center - Improve Member Experience and Security Without Compromises
Handouts - Posh
Handouts - Illuma

An exploration of the challenge with meeting expectations for streamlined, welcoming credit union contact center interactions, the current threat landscape for fraud/account takeovers, and how to balance risk mitigation with member experience.

Dr. Milind Borkar, Founder and CEO, Illuma

Dr. Milind Borkar is the Founder and CEO at Illuma Labs, a CUSO specializing in real-time voice authentication and fraud prevention solutions for credit unions. The flagship product, Illuma Shield^TM, replaces traditional knowledge-based authentication practices with an effortless and secure voice biometric solution. The net result is an elevated member experience, enhanced security, and improved operational efficiency. Illuma Shield^TM has been showcased at multiple premier Fintech events such as FinovateSpring and FinovateFall. Illuma Shield^TM has won Best in Show at VentureTech 2019 and the CreditUnions.com 2022 Innovation Series Award in the Member Experience category. Illuma Labs is the exclusive provider for CUNA Strategic Services and has industry endorsements in 34 U.S. states.

Prior to Illuma Labs, he received his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2008, after which he worked at Texas Instruments in roles spanning R&D, Marketing, and Business Development. He has launched 50+ hi-tech products, is an inventor on 21 patents, and an author on 14 technical publications.

Karan Kashyap, Co-Founder and CEO, Posh Technologies

Karan Kashyap is the co-founder and CEO of Posh Technologies, a fintech empowering community financial institutions to deliver an enjoyable and efficient banking experience for users through intuitive, conversational AI. Karan is an alumni of MIT’s Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Lab, where he earned his Masters degree in Artificial Intelligence.

Friday, June 17, 2022, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
Topic: Strategy as we Emerge From Disruption
Handouts

Credit Unions talk a lot about strategy.  Such conversations have become even more urgent as we’ve moved through the last two years of disruption.  Are your Credit Union’s strategic planning discussions adequately evolving with the changing times?  Are you investing enough time and attention to strategy in light of all of the other competing priorities your Credit Union faces?

In this session, you’ll participate in discussion of the top ten strategic topics being discussed by credit unions right now.  Discussion will explore these opportunities in plain language and center on consideration of these items from the perspective of senior management and Directors.  We will help you consider some of the important questions credit union leaders should be asking right now and discuss potential answers to those questions.  After attending this session, you will be armed with information to allow you to assess your credit union’s strategic positioning to identify opportunities that can move your credit union forward through 2022 and beyond.

Jeffrey Paille, CPA, Partner, The Bonadio Group

Jeff is a Partner in Bonadio’s Financial Institutions Team and works extensively with credit unions. His 30 years of experience includes conducting financial statement audits of credit unions, as well as consulting with credit unions on various matters, including strategic planning, Board and Supervisory Committee educational sessions, merger due diligence and accounting, and many others. The first five people to bring this bio to the Bonadio Group’s booth in the expo and point out this sentence will receive a special prize.

Jeff’s experience includes serving as Accounting Manager at ESL Federal Credit Union in Rochester, NY from September 2001 through March 2006.  In this capacity, Jeff was responsible for many aspects of the accounting for ESL.  Jeff also gained an in-depth understanding of credit union operations and was involved in projects to enhance operating effectiveness and efficiency.  Jeff rejoined Bonadio in April 2006 with a focus on serving credit union clients. 

Friday, June 17, 2022, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
Topic: How Credit Unions of Any Size Can Grow Their Business with AI Underwriting

AI and machine learning (ML) are transforming the member experience at credit unions. But too many credit unions shy away from investing in better lending with AI because they're unsure of this new technology and whether to trust it with their underwriting decisions. They also don’t think they have enough transaction or loan volume to properly train an AI model. Not so. The truth is that you don’t need a ton of in-house data to build a high-performing AI underwriting model. 

In this session, you’ll learn what is AI underwriting and how credit unions of all sizes can use ML to increase the accuracy of your credit models, allowing you to approve more borrowers safely. We will also touch on what kinds of data go into AI/ML credit models and how they’re just as transparent (if not more so) than the models and scorecards you use today. You'll leave the session with a better understanding of AI underwriting and how it can help grow your business.

Craig Yamauchi, CRO, Zest

Craig Yamauchi is the Chief Revenue Officer at Zest AI where he oversees the client organization partnering with credit unions. He has over 20 years of experience leading high-performing sales and marketing teams that focus on customer success. Prior to Zest, Craig was an executive at Adobe, Infor and other high-tech companies. He was also previously the CEO of Friedman Corporation which was acquired by Constellation Software Inc.

Saturday, June 18, 2022, 12:30 - 1:30 pm
Topic: Connecting Consumers to Credit Unions:  Raising Awareness & Engagement
Handouts

Credit Union Awareness delivers the industry's only national and state-level consumer marketing program designed to generate consideration and engagement for credit unions.  The program drives consumers through paid ads and organic search to YourMoneyFurther.com, where they can learn more about how credit unions can serve them and use the credit union matcher and locator to find a credit union that's right for them. In this session, you'll learn about our recently announced strategy expansion, the upcoming program launch in New York, and how your credit union can take advantage of the membership opportunities from participating in the program.

Richard Dines, Senior Director Credit UnionAwareness, LLC

Richard Dines is Senior Director for Credit Union Awareness, LLC, a national program aiming to increase consumer consideration and connect more consumers directly to credit unions.  He has been with CUNA and affiliated partners for 13 years, working for the American Association of Credit Union Leagues and as a CUNA Engagement Consultant.  He previously worked for the National Cooperative Business Association and the National Cooperative Bank.  He has a law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and a Master's in City Planning from the University of North Carolina.  He lives in Arlington, Virginia with his wife and two daughters.

Saturday, June 18, 2022, 12:30 - 1:30 pm
Topic: Omnichannel Texting

People send trillions of texts a year, with the average person sending 13 texts a day. With iMessage, WhatsApp, and other rich consumer messaging services, they can easily add video, audio and files to their conversations. Your members want the same level of engagement with their credit unions. Are you ready to engage with your members with Omni-Channel Texting?

Michael Vasquez, Director of Partnerships, Eltropy

Michael has worked with credit unions and community banks for over 11 years as a product manager and building partnerships.  He has worked for digital banking companies like S1 and Q2 helping to bring innovative solutions and products to their customers.

He joined Eltropy in November of 2021, and is currently working to connect Eltropy with leading Fintechs and FI service providers.

Saturday, June 18, 2022, 12:30 - 1:30 pm
Topic: Identify & Mitigate | Protect Your Credit Union from Cyber Threats
Handouts

Cyberattacks continue to compromise confidential data in increasingly advanced ways, making it difficult to control and combat the risks to your credit union. In addition, the cost of cyberattacks continues to increase. According to IBM, in 2020, the average cost of a data breach was roughly $3.86 million. Last year, that cost increased to $4.24 million.

From the front line to your executive team, taking proactive steps to protect both your credit union and members is essential.

During this session we will cover:

• The current cybersecurity landscape
• How you can identify cybersecurity risks at your credit union
• Proven methods that can be used to resolve and mitigate those risks
  
  

Dean Choudhri, CISSP, CISM, CRISC, Vice President, Cybersecurity and Information Assurance, Alloya Corporate FCU

As the Vice President of Cybersecurity and Information Assurance at Alloya Corporate FCU, Dean is responsible for the continuous review of all potential information security threats to corporate assets, and for identifying solutions that would mitigate any potential information and operational security risks.

In addition, Dean routinely monitors the effectiveness of the information security and operational controls that are in place.

Dean is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), and is Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC).