The President’s Perspective

​Let’s celebrate ICU Day! Plus, announcing the newest member of our advocacy team; Holiday Sweepstakes is underway; SE605 Chapter hosts Pints & Politics event, and more! 

John Alexander

​Greetings and Happy International Credit Union Day! 

​Credit unions across the Dakotas, around the country, and even around the world are ready to celebrate International Credit Union Day (ICU Day) this Thursday, October 19. I’m excited to share that Governor Noem and Governor Burgum have both signed official proclamations recognizing the significant role that credit unions play in our states. Electronic versions of those proclamations have been emailed to all credit unions; however, if you need a copy, please contact Shawn Brummer.
 
As you know, each year the World Council of Credit Unions sponsors ICU Day, and this year, we mark a historic 75-year anniversary. This milestone offers us a unique opportunity to acknowledge the tireless efforts of credit union employees while celebrating members the world over. Together, as a movement, we improve lives and focus on financial well-being and member empowerment. ICU Day gives us the opportunity to highlight the many ways credit union across the Dakotas help members work towards achieving their financial goals. I look forward to celebrating with you!
 
CUPAC-CULAC Holiday Sweepstakes underway!
Our Governmental Affairs Committees from both North and South Dakota are once again coordinating the CUPAC/CULAC Holiday Sweepstakes fundraiser. The on-line sweepstakes event will support our credit union advocacy funds in both states – and provides an exciting opportunity for participants to get in on $5,000 in cash prizes, just in time for the holiday season! The sweepstakes concludes on November 28 and the prize drawing will be held on December 1. Only credit unions that have a signed CULAC permission agreement on file are eligible to participate; please reach out to Paige Langhoff to verify your status or to update your agreement. Click here to learn more.

Dakota Senators Rounds and Cramer to meet with NCUA Board nominee Tanya Otsuka.  
This Thursday, the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee will meet to consider nominations, including nominee for the NCUA Board, Tanya Otsuka. President Biden nominated Otsuka to take the place of current board member Rodney Hood. Otsuka is the current senior counsel for the majority staff of the Senate Banking Committee. She plans to meet with Senator Rounds (SD) and Senator Cramer (ND) as both members serve on the Senate Banking committee. Yesterday, the DakCU advocacy team communicated our credit union “top of mind” regulatory concerns and issues with senior legislative aides in both offices in preparation for the confirmation hearing on Thursday.
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John Alexander joins the Association advocacy team.
Today, I am excited to announce the latest addition to our team as John Alexander joins the Association this week as Director of Legislative & Regulatory Affairs. John brings a wealth of experience in advancing legislative policy from both the Texas State House and the Texas State Senate. He also has an extensive understanding of policy education and training from his time working at the Leadership Institute in Washington, D.C. His primary responsibility at DakCU will be to assist the association in meeting legislative and regulatory objectives. Specifically, he will guide our legislative affairs and coordinate our political action committee in North Dakota, and lead our regulatory advocacy efforts. We are extremely excited to have John on our team to help lead our legislative and regulatory affairs; his vast experience and successful background in advancing policy issues will be an asset in our engagement strategy moving forward. Please join me in welcoming John to the credit union industry; you can reach him at [email protected]. 

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​SE605 Chapter hosts first Pints & Politics event of the season.
The SE605 Chapter of Credit Unions hosted the first Pints & Politics event of this non-election year last Thursday in Sioux Falls. While attendance was a bit lower than we had expected, the weather was likely partially to blame, as near monsoon conditions passed through the area that evening! I would like to thank the credit union professionals from Levo CU, Voyage FCU, and Black Hills FCU for participating in this important discussion. South Dakota credit unions play a very important role in the region’s financial landscape, and this couldn’t happen without the support of our credit union advocates.
 
This event was also an opportunity to meet our new Director of Political & Grassroots Affairs, Chesney Garnos. It is already clear that she will be a great addition to our advocacy team, being well accustomed to the political process, having worked as a South Dakota legislature intern, and as a communications specialist in the office of South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds. The South Dakota GAC now has a great weapon in their advocacy toolbox! 

​Successful New Ideas Conference is a wrap!
The New Ideas Conference took place in Deadwood last week with more than 80 credit union professionals and business partners in attendance. I was very pleased to see many first-time attendees! Initial feedback has been extremely positive, and a survey has been sent to all attendees, along with handouts from the presenters. Your answers on the survey help us to continually improve on our events and ensure that we are covering topics that are important to your credit unions, so please complete and submit them as soon as possible. 

Join us in sunny Las Vegas for MonDak!
Stay ahead of the game and power your credit union's success! Registration for the 2024 MonDak Roundtable is now open and early bird savings are available. Each winter, Dakota credit union leaders, along with credit union leaders from Montana, gather in sunny Las Vegas, Nevada, for a high-level educational and networking opportunity. Beginning in 2024, we are pleased to welcome Minnesota credit union leaders to the table. This particular event is exclusively for senior management, CEOs, and volunteer board members. MonDak is an amazing educational opportunity for regional credit union leaders to collaborate and share ideas as they are guided by a professional lineup of top industry thought leaders. Register by November 22 to take advantage of best pricing and visit the event page for more details.

Final reminder – CEO Town Hall Tuesday.
One final reminder, our Q3 Dakota CEO Town Hall is scheduled for next Tuesday, October 24, at 3:00 p.m. (CT) 2:00 p.m. (MT). All Dakota CEOs should have received the email invite and meeting link; if you need that link resent, please contact me.
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Have a great week, 

DakCU President/CEO