World Council board names Diana Dykstra new chair
World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) announced Diana Dykstra, president/CEO of the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues, as its new Board Chair on day three of the 2022 World Credit Union Conference. Dykstra will serve as Chair for a one-year term through July 2023.
“I just want to thank you for this honor, and I really look forward to working with you in the coming year. Thank you so much,” Dykstra told attendees of Tuesday’s general session.
A WOCCU Board member since 2016, Dykstra has also served as president/CEO of San Francisco Fire Credit Union and CoastHills Credit Union, as well as a senior vice president of Patelco Credit Union.
Dykstra led her team to develop the prototype of the now successful Credit Union Direct Lending (CUDL) program during her tenure as senior vice president of The Golden 1 Credit Union.
The WOCCU Board of Directors also reappointed current directors Dallas Bergl (USA), Joe Thomas (USA) and Michael Lawrence (Australia) to two-year terms. Jeff Guthrie, the new president/CEO of the Canadian Credit Union Association (CCUA), was also appointed to a two-year term. He replaces outgoing CCUA President and CEO Martha Durdin.
WOCCU Board Directors Manfred Dasenbrock (Brazil), Charles Murphy (Ireland), George Ototo (Kenya) and Joseph Remy (Caribbean) were all reelected to two-year terms.
The World Council Board’s committee officers for 2022-23 are:
- Diana Dykstra (USA), Chair
- Michael Lawrence (Australia), Vice Chair/Secretary
- George Ototo (Kenya), Treasurer/Chair of Audit and Risk Committee
- Joe Thomas (USA), Chair of Governance and Elections Committee
Fireplace chat on international regulations
Attendees also got to hear from two of the world’s foremost authorities on national credit union regulations Tuesday, during a panel discussion on the opportunities and challenges presented by emerging technologies.
Rodney Hood, Board Director for the United States’ National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), and Brian Corr, Director of Credit Union Policy with Ireland’s Department of Finance (DFIN), agreed credit unions are well positioned to implement digital and technological solutions for their members.
“I think the great advantage credit unions have all over the world is they don’t have the legacy systems the retail banks have. So, they can take onboard tried and trusted technologies,” said Corr. “One thing I say to credit unions is: ‘Be ambitious. You don’t have to take as big a risk as the retail banks.'”
The pair also agreed credit unions still need to ensure to do their due diligence before working with any technology firm, but managing the risk involved is workable for them and their regulators.
“There have always been emerging technologies. We look at what our resources are and can we do the mitigation. It’s understanding how the tools are going to work. We walk through the litany of activities. At the end of day, I, as a regulator, am trying to provide the regulatory framework for folks who take on these tools,” said Hood.
The friendly hacker
Hackers know just how to adapt, evolve and harness any new technology that is out in the world.
That was the message delivered during Tuesday’s virtual keynote address by Keren Elazari, an internationally recognized cyber security analyst, author and researcher with more than 20 years of experience in the cybersecurity field.
Known as “the friendly hacker,” Elazari said she has devoted her life to exposing and fixing security vulnerabilities and problems.
Elazari explained that while most of us are used to attacks through methods such as email phishing by now, hackers continue to evolve, and credit unions must be prepared.
“The most sophisticated attacks will target remote access tools like VPNs and network routers, taking advantage of tools like remote desktop protocols and remote connection passwords we’ve all come to rely on in recent years,” said Elazari.
Still to come
The 2022 World Credit Union Conference concludes Wednesday with the third and final general session, featuring a keynote presentation from Belinda Parmar, OBE, CEO of The Empathy Business. There will also be medal ceremony for the 2020-21 WYCUP Scholars.
Follow conference activities and see daily event photos on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram with #WCUC2022.
The 2022 World Credit Union Conference is presented in collaboration with the Association of British Credit Unions Limited (ABCUL) and runs through Wednesday, July 20.