Dakota CU Professionals at Work

​Before the official GAC kickoff, national committee work and board meetings take place in Washington, DC with Dakota representatives’ boots on the ground. 

Dakota credit union professionals who serve on CUNA and AACUL national committees arrived in Washington, DC prior to the GAC opening ceremonies for specific committee meetings which began on Friday, February 24 and continued through Sunday, February 26.
 
While most attendees arrive at the conference center on Monday for the GAC opening ceremonies, there is much work being conducted behind the scenes before the official kickoff, much of which involves Dakota credit union professionals.
 
Jeff Olson, President/CEO, Dakota Credit Union Association (Bismarck, ND) attended multiple meetings over the weekend, including sessions with the Awareness LLC Board, the CUNA Board, CUNA Executive Board, AACUL Executive Board, CSS Board, CULAC Trustee Board, and the CULAC Executive Committee.
 
Roger Heacock, retired CEO of Black Hills FCU, continues to serve on the CSS Board of Directors and made the trip to DC to reconnect with his colleagues from both the Dakotas and at the national level.
 
Lacey Fetsch, CEO, University FCU (Grand Forks, ND) attended the Small Credit Union Committee meeting, which tracks issues affecting small credit unions and promotes unity between credit unions of all sizes.
 
Jon Griffin, Chief Lending Officer, Capital CU (Bismarck, ND) attended the Payments Subcommittee meeting, which monitors, reviews and advises CUNA on operational and public policy issues related to payments systems, data security, cybersecurity, and utilization of the latest developments in payments.
 
Jay Kruse, Chief Advocacy Officer, Dakota Credit Union Association (Sioux Falls, SD) attended the Volunteer Leadership Committee meeting. This committee assists in the development of strategy for the increased involvement and support of credit union volunteers and serves as a strategic leadership resource for CUNA.
 
George McDonald, Chief Officer of Strategic Services, Dakota Credit Union Association (Bismarck, ND) attended meetings hosted by the AACUL League Service Corp (LSC) Committee. This committee provides a forum for LSC executives to collaborate and share due diligence on products and services that benefit our member credit unions and information to help meet the evolving challenges credit unions face. 
 
Melanie Stillwell, CEO of Western Cooperative Credit Union (Williston, ND) attended the CUNA Examination & Supervision Subcommittee meeting. This committee makes recommendations to the Advocacy Committee for safe, fair, and efficient examinations for federal and state credit unions and also makes recommendations regarding the Share Insurance Fund, the CDFI fund, and the Community Development Revolving Loan Program.
 
Jerry Schmidt, CEO of Black Hills FCU (Rapid City, SD) attended Credit Union Powers Subcommittee meetings. This committee provides feedback on pending legislative and regulatory proposals affecting credit union powers at the federal and state level and develops recommendations to the Advocacy Committee to address those concerns.
 
Paul J. Brucker, President/CEO of Railway CU participated in the CULAC Trustees meeting as our North Dakota Ambassador. CULAC is the federal Legislative Action Council for CUNA and is the national PAC that contributes to our federal candidates with heavy input from the Dakota Credit Union Association.
 
Chad Moller, Chief Growth Officer at Dakotaland Federal Credit Union (Brookings, SD) attended the CULAC Trustees meeting as our South Dakota Ambassador. The Board of Trustees serves as the governing body for CULAC and includes a representative from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. 
 
And finally, Nanci Wilson, Marketing & Community Engagement Officer at University FCU (Grand Forks, ND) attended the CUDE Advisory Committee meeting. Nanci received her CUDE designation in 2015, and since then she has spoken at DE graduations and been a mentor for new DE classes.
 
Stay tuned to the Memo and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more news from the Governmental Affairs Conference. ​