news.cuna.org/articles/120675-podcast-voices-from-the-gac
2022 CUNA GAC

PODCAST: Voices from the GAC

A collection of ideas and personalities that shape the annual event.

March 11, 2022

While the CUNA Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC) is ostensibly an advocacy event, it’s really much more than that. Everyone who attends the conference has their own story to share, an idea, or a belief, that fuels their individual passion for the people helping people concept of financial services.

In this episode of the CUNA News Podcast, we share a collection of the voices from the 2022 CUNA GAC. The ideas explored in this episode are as varied as the attendees themselves: financial well-being, small credit unions, credit union awareness, young professionals, relationship management, the CUNA GAC virtual experience, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

This episode reflects not only the energy and passion that drives the success CUNA GAC each year but also thought leadership that makes this such a compelling time to be part of the credit union system. 

You can listen to the CUNA News Podcast in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher Radio.

In this episode:

1:41: Tom Sakash, CUNA’s manager of small credit union initiatives, and Helen Mickel, president/CEO, Tongass Federal Credit Union, Ketchikan, Alaska, discuss how small credit unions address talent strategy.

5:58 Amanious Haile, IT business systems analyst, BECU, Tukwila, Wash., and Emily Polanco-Barahona, vendor manager, State Employees Credit Union, Raleigh, N.C., talk about next generation of leaders in the credit union movement.

7:51 Tom Kane, CEO, Illinois Credit Union System, discusses financial well-being and the #ILoveMyCreditUnion social media campaign.

15:02 Samira Salem, CUNA’s vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion explains how DEI elevates the credit union value proposition.

20:02 Tim Anderson, president/CEO, United States Senate Federal Credit Union, Alexandria, Va., discusses how his credit union improves members’ financial well-being.

25:00 Christine Hickey, senior relationship management specialist, University Federal Credit Union, Austin, Texas, talks about her credit union’s student success programs.

27:51 Christopher Lorence, executive director, CU Awareness, talks about the next steps for the national marketing campaign. 

31:40 The CUNA Broadcast Team shares its experience in providing an “on air” virtual experience of the CUNA GAC for the first time.