The President's Perspective

​ND Sanford micropreemie project up for reconsideration; a new CEO at Dakota Plains FCU; and a longtime South Dakota credit union advocate passes. 

Welcome to August! It’s still summer and we have plenty of good weather days ahead, but it’s the third quarter already, and it’s time to gear up and prepare for a nice Dakota fall.

We are kicking off Q3 with a special CEO Town Hall next Tuesday, August 8th. CUNA President, Jim Nussle, will join us for an update. All CEOs should have received an email invitation with the meeting link; if for some reason you missed it, be sure to contact me. The virtual meeting will take place at 9:30 a.m. CT (8:30 a.m. MT). I’m looking forward to connecting with you next week.

Last chance to register for Professionals Forum and Foundation Golf Scramble.
This Friday, August 4, is the final day to register for the DakCU Professionals Forum (August 15) and Foundation Golf Scramble (August 16). This is a fun and informal opportunity to have open discussions on topics that YOU bring to the table, plus there will be plenty of time to network. While in Fargo, please join us the next day at Rose Creek Golf Course for a great cause – to raise money for the new CU4Kids Micropreemie Care Unit at Sanford Children’s Hospital. Registrations have been strong but we do have some individual spots remaining – feel free to contact Paige Langhoff to be placed on a golf team.

North Dakota Sanford Project reconsideration.
Following our call with Sanford Children’s Hospital yesterday, North Dakota Credit Unions have until the end of August to consider (or reconsider) their pledge to the Sanford CMN Micropreemie campaign. (If you missed yesterday’s call, the recording is available here.)

Many credit unions have indicated that with such short notice, it was difficult to work the pledge into their budgets for this year. However, we now know that credit unions can decide when they want to start and complete your pledge, meaning this can be part of your 2024 or even 2025 planning. At this point, all we are really looking for is your commitment. Please reach out to me, Lindsey Hefta, or Shawn Brummer if you have any questions.

Three Dakota CU Professionals achieve CCUE designations.
Last week, I mentioned Cassie Pannone, CFO at Highmark Credit Union (Rapid City, SD) had completed CUNA Management school, and this week, I learned about two more executives that also earned their Certified Credit Union Executive (CCUE) designations. Our most hearty congratulations to Kelly Duchsherer, CEO of Affinity First FCU (Minot, ND) and Sandi Widdel, Branch Manager at North Star Community CU (Minot, ND).

The CCUE designation is awarded after completing three years of executive education including exams, projects and an oral presentation. This achievement demonstrates the highest level of aptitude in credit union leadership, and we congratulate them on this outstanding accomplishment. Be sure to check out the related story in today’s Memo for more details about their CCUE experience.

Brent Dirk takes over as CEO of Dakota Plains FCU.
Brent Dirk, former VP of Operations at Dakota Plains FCU has been named the next President/CEO. Dakota Plains FCU is based in Lemmon, SD and currently holds over $72MM in assets. Congratulations Brent, we’re looking forward to your leadership. 

Congratulations to Black Hills FCU
I also want to send a “shout out” to Jerry Schmidt and the crew at Black Hills FCU (Rapid City). They received two awards from the national recognition program “Top Workplaces” – the first is for their culture of excellence, and the second was in the financial services category. The results show that the employees, based on a survey, feel genuinely appreciated and are invested in workplace values. Congratulations and well done!

Longtime CU advocate passes.
Finally, we have some sad news to share. We heard the news yesterday that Alan Dreesman, longtime board chairman of Service First FCU in Sioux Falls, passed away peacefully over the weekend at his home at the age of 89. Many of you may remember Al as he served on the Service First board for more than 40 years and was inducted into the Dakota Credit Union Hall of Fame in 2011. We send our sincere condolences to Al’s family and his Service First family.
 
Best regards,

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DakCU President/CEO