There was a lot to talk about at the 2023 CUNA Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC). Credit union advocates, lawmakers, keynoters, and leaders met in Washington, D.C., from Feb. 26 through March 2 to discuss it all.

Conversations focused on advocacy priorities; policies and regulations; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); the state of the economy; financial well-being for all; and the factors that led Ballast Research to name the CUNA-League system the most credible trade association in Washington, D.C., in 2022.

 Highlights from the event:

Articles

• Poet Sekou Andrews opened GAC with a keynote address about making "waves as a means of change." 
• CUNA Manager of Small Credit Union Initiatives Tom Sakash reminded Small Credit Union Roundtable attendees not to "get tired of telling your story."
• DEI Roundtable panelists suggested credit unions can improve their DEI efforts by building a foundation, defining their commitments, creating employee resource groups, and more.
• PSCU Vice President of Innovation Vladimir Jovanovic discussed the metaverse's potential to "reinvent how we work, play, relax, transact, and socialize.”
• CUNA President/CEO Jim Nussle told attendees, "credit unions are the solution."
• CUNA Deputy Chief Advocacy Officer Jason Stverak and a panel of league presidents said credit union advocacy means telling policymakers what you're doing, showing the data, and asking for help.
• Outgoing CUNA Board Chair Tony Budet called his term an “honor and a privilege” and recalled how he was “inspired by the many meaningful and innovative ways the cooperative movement helps people around the world."  
• Keynoter Peter Diamandis, founder and executive chairman at the XPRIZE Foundation, predicts there will be two kinds of companies at the end of this decade: Those that are fully utilizing AI, and those who are out of business.
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra and CUNA President/CEO Jim Nussle discussed financial institutions' supervision and regulatory climate.
• House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told attendees, “We in Congress know credit unions are committed to serving their members. And we're committed to making sure you can continue to do just that.”
• NCUA Chairman Todd Harper said economic activity has begun to cool and "we must all take actions to prepare for a downturn."
• Five Credit Union Rock Stars took the stage during a CUNA Councils breakfast to dispense life and leadership lessons.
• Retired Local Government Federal Credit Union CEO Maurice Smith won the inaugural Greg Inman Servant Leadership Award.
• CUNA, league, credit unions, and system partners all stepped on the stage to dive deep into financial well-being for all.
• Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., pledged to decrease burdensome regulations.
• NCUA Vice Chairman Kyle Hauptman and Board Member Rodney Hood shared their regulatory philosophies and updated attendees on the agency.
• New CUNA Board Chair Lisa Ginter, president/CEO at $4.6 billion asset CommunityAmerica Credit Union, said the “combination of steadfast focus on our members and determination to advance the communities we serve means credit unions have plenty to work for in the next year and beyond.”
• CUNA economists Mike Schenk, Dawit Kebede, and Ligia Vado said a modest recession is coming, but told attendees not to panic and that “as financial first responders, we run toward problems and solve them.”
• Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said, “People believe in this country but too many don’t believe that the country believes in them any longer. We’ve got to get those people back.”
• CUNA Deputy Chief Advocacy Officer for Political Action Trey Hawkins led a session on how CUNA decides which political candidates to support.
• A DEI panel agreed that the credit union movement must “drive change for generations to come” by doubling down on its DEI efforts.
• A series of legislators thanked credit unions and recognized the power of the credit union difference.
• World Council of Credit Unions President/CEO Elissa McCarter LaBorde highlighted how the council can learn from credit unions to improve their own operations.
• Political strategists Karl Rove and Jennifer Palmieri discussed the top issues impacting Washington, D.C., and how some Americans are anxious for a generational shift.

Podcast interviews

• Maps Credit Union Chief Operations Officer Rachel Pross explained how cannabis banking is evolving.
• Royal Credit Union board member John Sackett shared how directors can positively influence their organization’s strategic direction.
• CUNA Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Samira Salem discussed credit unions’ progress in their DEI journeys, and how the principles of DEI are a natural extension of credit union values.
• National Credit Union Foundation Executive Director Gigi Hyland defined financial well-being for all and gave updates on new financial well-being efforts in the industry.
• Co-op Solutions Vice President of Integrated Product Marketing and Commercialization Carrie Stapp dove into market research on consumer behavior and examined the role fintechs play in members’ finances.
• Raddon General Manager and Chief Economist Bill Handel examined how the 2023 economy will affect the bottom line at America’s credit unions.
  
• Yvonne Stelpflug, senior vice president of Advisors Plus at PSCU, advised credit unions about payments strategies that meet the marketplace’s increasing and evolving demands.
• Tongass Federal Credit Union President/CEO Helen Mickel explained how microsites allow the Alaska credit union provide services in remote communities.
• Evergreen Credit Union President/CEO Jason Lindstrom described how community involvement, financial well-being efforts, and networking helped the Portland, Maine, credit union grow significantly.

Videos

• Spoken word artist Sekou Andrews told CUNA Senior Editor Ron Jooss how credit unions can leverage change and disruption to share their stories.
  
• SECU’s Emma Hayes, BECU’s Jackie Martinez-Vasquez, and CUNA Mutual Group’s Angela Russell offered credit unions advice on their DEI efforts.
• Chicago Post Office Employees Credit Union’s Kenneth Allen, United Savings Credit Union’s Jim Schaefbauer, and New York University Federal Credit Union’s Mira Ness discussed their credit unions’ efforts to improve members’ financial well-being.
• Peter Diamandis, founder and executive chairman at XPRIZE Foundation, said technological advancements improve the state of peoples’ lives while reinventing how people live.

Social media galleries

• Wednesday
• Tuesday
• Monday

Photo galleries

• Monday
• Sunday 

The 2024 CUNA GAC is scheduled for March 3-7 in Washington, D.C.

►Visit CUNA News for more conference coverage. Get live updates on Twitter via @CUNA_News, @cumagazine, @cuna, and #CUNAGAC. Follow the conference on Facebook and Instagram and visit cuna.org/gac for more information.