Greetings from our nation’s capital! This week, nine Dakota credit union advocates are here to participate in our 11th annual legislative and regulatory “Hike the Hill.” Credit unions play a very important role in Dakota’s financial landscape, and this visit is something that couldn’t have happened without the support of our representatives and policy makers. Since 2010, advocates from the Dakotas have successfully implemented this grassroots approach to building relationships with our congressional delegation. More importantly, our elected officials are paying attention. For those of you who have participated in a “Hike,” either on one of our fall visits or during the Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC) each year, you know firsthand that these visits have been instrumental in educating and persuading lawmakers and key staff members to support many of our credit union issues. Photo left: SD delegation met at the Credit Union House early this morning and includes Jay Kruse, President/CEO Norstar FCU; Jeff Schmidt, President/CEO Voyage FCU; Steve Stofferahn, VP Lending, Levo FCU; and Rick Preble, Chief Experience Officer, Black Hills FCU; Photo right: ND delegation gathered at the Capitol building and includes Tyler Neether, VP Commercial Lending, Town & Country CU; Jeff Olson, President/CEO DakCU; Melanie Stillwell, President/CEO, Western Cooperative CU; and Steve Davis, Senior Vice President, First Community CU. Our “Hike the Hill” agenda continues to evolve with every visit. It really gives our participants the opportunity to put a personal context on issues that we can’t get with a letter or email. Here, we can tell personal stories to both lawmakers and our regulators that they can and should be able to relate to. Each year, our meetings with legislators and regulators provide credit union leaders with the platform to advocate for a healthy operating environment. We have learned that the best form of advocacy is when our members share stories with their local representatives and lawmakers in these type of face-to-face meetings. With the crushing impact of the ongoing regulatory burdens, it’s important that we also meet and have personal dialogue with the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) during our time in DC. Many of our participants come prepared with personal stories and instances that describe how certain rules and regulations harm consumers and are directly preventing credit unions from serving their members as well as they could. Most importantly, we know that our “Hike the Hill” strategy works. Amy Kleinschmit will provide a recap of our week in her Memo article this week. We also invite you to follow our social media platforms for exclusive photos – be sure to like and share our social media posts with staff, volunteers, members, and friends this week as well. Nussle to hold forums for CEOs on proposed merger. CUNA President/CEO Jim Nussle will be holding a series of virtual forums for NAFCU and CUNA member CEOs to learn more about the proposed transformation to America’s Credit Unions. There will be three forums offered: One for NAFCU-only members; CUNA-only members; and dual members. Registration links for each are available below, and I encourage all Dakota CEOS to sign up for their appropriate session. Each forum will include a brief update on the merger followed by a Q & A session. You may also submit questions during the registration process. As a reminder, the vote remains open until 5 p.m. (ET) November 1. Additional details of the proposed merger can be found here.
Shout out to Hometown CU! Speaking of the merger, I would like to send a “shout out” to Harold Hagen, CEO of Hometown Credit Union, who was recently featured in an article in American Banker, in which he says he voted to approve the merger because he believes it will remove the duplication and create “one strong and united group” to represent all interests. The DakCU board has unanimously approved a proclamation of support for the merger. I encourage anyone with questions or concerns about the proposed merger to contact me directly. McDonald Attends Alloya Leadership Symposium Last week, George McDonald, our Chief Officer of Strategic Services, had the opportunity to attend the Alloya Leadership Symposium, where he was interviewed by our old friend, Mike Lawson from CUBroadcast. This year’s symposium had a special session on AI – something we are all learning more about as it continues to dominate the headlines. During the interview, which you can see here, George discusses industry trends and issues that your Dakota Credit Union Association is handling, as well as a Dakota Credit Union System update. Join us for some New Ideas! Finally, as a reminder, registration remains open for the DakCU New Ideas Conference until September 29th. If you are looking for some inspiration to guide your next moves, gain new insights, and develop strategies that you can implement at your organization immediately, you do not want to miss this opportunity! We have some very popular presenters in store for you – including Bo McDonald, Mollie Bell, Erik Therwanger, and Denise Wymore! Learn more about these industry thought leaders and register here today! Have a great week!  DakCU President/CEO
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