APEX 2023

Session Descriptions

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Pre-Conference Session: Audit/Supervisory Committee Best Policies 

Ancin Cooley, Principal, Synergy Credit Union Consulting, Inc. 

What do the issues at SVB, FTX, and Wells Fargo all have in common? They all suffered significant lapses in governance, internal controls, and risk management. When Supervisory Committees are unfocused, unexpected events always catch institutions off guard. In this timely session, Ancin Cooley, with Synergy Credit Union Consulting, will draw from his experiences as an examiner, board consultant, internal auditor, and strategic planner to provide insight on how Supervisory Committees add value to their organizations.

Pre-Conference Session: Conversations to Accelerate Employee Performance and Potential

Jamie Resker, Founder and Practice Leader, Employee Performance Solutions LLC

Through our Conversations to Accelerate Employee Performance and Potential training and tools, managers learn to analyze performance to engage in the right conversations. Off-target performance is re-directed by articulating clear and actionable future expectations, motivating and inspiring improved performance. Participants learn new skills to bypass the tendency to blame or criticize past performance. The approach builds trust, leads to more cooperation, and strengthens the employee/manager relationship.

KEYNOTE: Shattering Limitations and Daring to Thrive

Dima Ghawi, Executive Coach & Author, Dima Ghawi, LLC

Dima Ghawi's story of personal transformation will encourage attendees to confront and conquer internal limitations. As she recounts her own struggles and triumphs, her vulnerability and insight sparks light for attendees' own journey of self-discovery.

Dima dares individuals to examine at their own internal limitations, such as the pursuit of perfection, the fear of failure or being judged. She then equips audience members with the tools and courage it takes to shatter those limitations and emerge as empowered individuals.

Attendees will learn:

• The importance of self-awareness and how effective personal leadership starts from within.
• How conscious professionals lead to better teamwork, enhanced communication, and an improvement in the overall organizational culture.
• How internal limitations inhibit individuals from performing at their best and advancing professionally.

Key attendee takeaways:

• Elevate employee engagement and team morale by encouraging risk-taking and increasing individual self-awareness.
• Shattering internal limitations creates more confident and conscious leaders.
• By increasing courage in organizations, creativity and innovation also increases, improving the bottom-line results.

Learning Lab: The Middle Way: Keys to Pragmatic and Sustainable Board Leadership in a Dynamic Environment

Ancin Cooley, Principal, Synergy Credit Union Consulting, Inc.

Amid today's economic uncertainty, steady Board leadership is more important than ever. In this timely session, Ancin Cooley, with Synergy Credit Union Consulting, will provide actionable strategies for today's hottest topics like interest rate risk, liquidity risk, governance, and strategy selection.

Learning Lab: From ATMs to ITMs - What to Consider When Making the Leap

Paul V. Gandolfi, Vice President / Branded Sales Director, Dolphin Debit Access, LLC./Euronet Worldwide

There are many determining factors credit unions need to consider when evaluating if ITMs are really for them. The "everyone else is doing it" reasoning is not the best way to decide. This session will help credit unions gain a better understanding of the ATM and ITM market, and attendees will leave on a strategically strong footing for deciding whether to implement ITMs.

Learning Lab: Navigating the AI Landscape for Credit Unions

This Learning Lab will delve into the transformative power of artificial intelligence (AI) within the credit union sector. Our distinguished panel speakers from leading AI firms Zest AI, Interface, and eGain will provide invaluable insights and strategies for harnessing AI capabilities to your credit union's advantage.

Whether you are in the early stages of AI adoption or looking to refine your existing strategy, this session is set to address key pain points, potential solutions, and innovative approaches in credit union operations.

From Zest AI, you'll hear about their pioneering machine learning technology helps financial institutions make smarter, more inclusive and efficient lending decisions. Interface will showcase their cutting-edge AI assistant that aims to personalize customer experiences while minimizing risk. Lastly, eGain's expert will share insights into how their customer engagement solutions help credit unions increase member satisfaction and retention.

Engage in dynamic discussions, gain actionable knowledge on implementing AI in credit risk management, customer service, and marketing, and learn to anticipate the regulatory landscape for AI in the credit union industry.

Don't miss this opportunity to navigate the complex AI landscape with the guidance of AI industry leaders. It's time to power up your credit union with AI.

Learning Lab: Emerging Compliance Risks, Challenges, and Opportunities for Small Credit Unions

Sr. Compliance Officer and Training Coordinator, ViClarity

Are you a small credit union looking to better understand the current climate of emerging risks and having a thorough compliance program?

Join ViClarity's Erin O'Hern, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives to discuss current compliance risks, challenges, and opportunities as it directly impacts small credit unions. Working with various credit unions nationwide and having a pulse on how to properly evaluate risk & compliance programs, this session will provide great insight on what your credit union is doing well and what areas could use improvements.

Thursday, October 12, 2023

KEYNOTE: Cut Through the Noise: Building an Effective Communications Strategy

Robert Gibbs, White House Press Secretary (2009-2011), EVP & Global Chief Communications Officer, McDonalds (2015-19), MSNBC Commentator

Renowned communications expert Robert Gibbs offers actionable lessons and eye-opening insight into what it takes to craft an effective communications strategy in today's unpredictable media and political environment. Drawing on his unparalleled private and public sector experience as both a Washington insider and former Press Secretary and communications executive at McDonald's, Gibbs' insights leave audiences with actionable, eye-opening, strategies and tools. Whether looking to better connect with clients, be strategic about messaging in moments of crisis, or authentically tell your brand's story, Gibbs highlights the dos and don'ts of smart, compelling communications.

KEYNOTE: Understanding Your Audience: Effective Advocacy

Legislators are people too. Find out what they care about and what gets their attention. Lawmakers from our represented states will join a panel discussion facilitated by Connecticut League President/CEO Bruce Adams and CUNA's Chief Political Officer Richard Gose.

Learning Lab: What's Your EVP? (Employee Value Proposition) Employee MoJo + Accountability = High Performance Cultures

Allison Ebner, President, Employers Association of the NorthEast (EANE)

The demographics don't lie. We simply don't have enough workers to fill all the open jobs in our organizations today. The fight for the best talent is expected to continue into the next decade. Baby Boomers are retiring and there aren't enough Gen X'ers to backfill those key roles. Can we rely on AI and technology to save us? Probably not. We need a better plan, one that blends high employee motivation with well communicated accountability standards. This helps us create the infrastructure for high-performance work cultures!

In this program, we will explore the four fundamental emotional drivers that underlie motivation, and we'll share the actions that organizations can take to create an accountability driven reward system that blends peak performance and high employee satisfaction – a winning combo for everyone!

Learning Lab: Navigating the Road to Faster Payments

Jim Olney, Vice President, Payments Strategy, Alloya Corporate FCU

It's October 2023 and the FedNow℠ Service is live. Other solutions such as The Clearing House's RTP® network continue to advance and new services such as Visa+ are preparing to launch. Now what?

During this session, Alloya's Vice President of Payments Strategy Jim Olney will provide an update on developments in faster and real-time payments and outline what it means for credit unions. In addition, he will share a roadmap to help you merge onto the faster payments highway!

Learning Lab: Stop, Spot, and Roll

Tanya Meck, Partner and Managing Director, Global Strategy Group

Charting and navigating a crisis communications strategy that minimizes disruption and seizes opportunity.

This session will provide a full spectrum overview of the importance of Stopping: putting a communications plan in place before something happens, Spotting: Identifying potential crises or actionable events, and Rolling: executing the plan efficiently and effectively.

Learning Lab: BSA Training for Board Members

Judy Britt, Vice President of Compliance, Credit Union League of Connecticut

Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) compliance remains high on the examiner's list for all credit unions, so credit union volunteers need to be familiar with BSA requirements. While board members are not expected to be experts in every law or regulation impacting BSA/AML compliance, they are expected to be educated enough to understand and oversee their own compliance programs. Guidance from regulators and enforcement authorities makes clear that effective oversight requires knowledgeable and active engagement from directors.

This training session provides a relevant overview of BSA including the specific actions that boards must actively keep up with, such as BSA policy, risk assessment, ongoing training, and Suspicious Activity Report filings.

Friday, October 13, 2023

KEYNOTE: U.S. Economic Outlook & its Impact on Credit Unions

Steve Rick, Chief Economist, TruStage

The U.S. economy is experiencing historic demand and supply shocks leading to the highest inflation in 40 years. The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates at the fastest pace in 40 years. What will higher interest rates do to the economy in 2024 and beyond? Are fundamental changes in the jobs market apt to cause long-term labor shortages and wage pressures? Explore the possible paths of the economy and what impact it will have on credit union balance sheets and income statements for the next two years.

KEYNOTE: Alone in Antarctica

Felicity Aston, MBE, Explorer, Scientist, Speaker and Author

In 2012 Felicity became the first woman in the world to ski across Antarctica alone. The 1084-mile journey took her 59 days skiing unaccompanied through a monotonous and hostile landscape. Describing her record-making expedition she reveals - with astonishing honesty - the fear, the doubt and the loneliness of the experience, reflecting issues many of us face on a daily basis. Felicity examines the sources of motivation that drove her forward day after day and talks about the importance of perseverance, sharing with her audience ways to cultivate this most vital of qualities when vulnerable and under pressure. Through her thought-provoking, highly relevant and often poignant talk, Felicity provides an insight into recognizing and developing the innate resilience within us all.