Cornerstone League

T-minus one week until Day! Who's ready to share the on July 26?

📣Exciting news!📣 Our fearless leader, Caroline Willard, has joined the board of Credit Union House in Washington, D.C.

“I’m happy to serve on the Credit Union House’s governing body as secretary for the next year. It’s an especially exciting time to join this board, as we are embarking on a capital campaign to modernize this home-away-from-home for credit unions, and I’ll be leading up the fundraising efforts for that campaign."

The Leaguer and InfoSight newsletters might be on pause this week, but our articles are still online. Get your Leaguer fix: https://ow.ly/Or5T50SGiMg

Credit union advocates throughout our region are busy sharing the with legislators. On Monday, Community Resource Credit Union hosted Congressman Dan Crenshaw and invited their community to meet with him.

“CRCU was honored to host Congressman Dan Crenshaw for a meet & greet," said Russell Ballard, president/CEO. "It was a unique opportunity for our members, as well as the community, to meet the congressman, ask questions, and hear his perspective on some of the most important issues of the day.”

Pictured are Ballard (CEO), U.S. Rep. Crenshaw, and Ronnie Anderson (Board Legislative Liaison).

🎉 Cheers to our credit union advocates who swung by TopGolf in the Kansas City area! It was a night filled with CU advocacy, food, fun, and golf.

Azura Credit Union Envista Federal Credit Union Frontier Community Credit Union Mainstreet Credit Union

⏰Last chance for Crash Hike the Hill and Crash ELEVATE! Don't miss out on these transformative experiences - apply by Friday, July 19: https://ow.ly/QnCN50SCN4n

Join the conversation! The next Small CU Hot Topics Call is this Wednesday, July 17. 📅

Connect with your peers to discuss pressing issues and industry trends: https://ow.ly/oMpf50SBFhe

Are you a credit union CEO, president, or key manager? Don't miss our Managers Roundtable, Sept. 25-27 in Hot Springs, AR. Connect with fellow leaders and learn best practices. https://ow.ly/1Sve50SAyBi

Register by Aug. 6 to save $100!

Get ahead in consumer lending with Don Arkell at SHIFT! He'll speak on the current challenges, shifting consumer confidence, lending to gig workers, and more. https://ow.ly/LE5N50SzZKV

📅 Oct. 22-25, 2024
📍Omni Oklahoma City | Oklahoma City, OK
💲Early bird discount ends on July 17.

Celebrate the 51st SCMS Commencement with three special events on July 18-19!💫🎓

Open to Cornerstone-member credit unions, SCMS alumni, and the graduating class: https://ow.ly/2Zpy50SycXf

Time to level up! Registration is open for TWO exciting YP opportunities: https://ow.ly/TrW950StaOI

🏛️ Crash Hike the Hill: Head to D.C., meet lawmakers, and advocate for credit unions.

🚀 Crash ELEVATE: Skyrocket your career with leadership training and networking.

Don’t miss your chance to grow, learn, and lead!

D.C. is calling, and so is your chance to make a difference! Register now for Hike the Hill 2024, Sept. 10-12: https://ow.ly/eXpY50SuXj3

Our Missouri advocacy team was on a roll last week! They joined credit union leaders to share the with legislators throughout the state.

📍Troy: Met with Rep. Chad Perkins at United Credit Union.
📍St. Louis: Caught up with Sen. Angela Mosley at Vantage Credit Union.
📍Springfield: Met with Rep. Bob Titus at BluCurrent Credit Union.
📍Springfield: Ended the week with baseball and met with Sen. Curtis Trent.

Kudos to all the participating credit union advocates from BluCurrent Credit Union, CommunityAmerica Credit Union, Multipli Credit Union, TelComm Credit Union, United Credit Union, Vantage Credit Union, and Volt Credit Union.

Hot off the presses! The latest edition of Perspectives focuses on developing talent and bench depth to grow success. Check out articles about next-gen leaders and attracting younger members.

Read the latest Perspectives magazine online! nside the pages, you’ll find articles that explore ways to recognize new leaders; empower them to learn, stretch, and thrive in the credit union...

🌟Soarion Credit Union announces two promotions and one hire!🌟

Yvonne De La Rosa-Flores was promoted to vice president of enterprise risk management. She joined Soarion in 2022 as director of compliance and risk management and was promoted to assistant vice president. In her new role, she will analyze and measure the exposure of risk to the credit union by monitoring products or services the credit union and the geographic locations in which it services to ensure it has proper internal controls in place to mitigate risk. She has worked in the credit union industry for 32 years.

Monica Benavides was promoted to assistant vice president of loan servicing and credit solutions. In her new role, she will drive the strategic direction of the credit solutions, payment operations, and card and loan servicing business units of the organization. She has 37 years of financial industry experience overseeing asset recovery and disposal, collections, bankruptcy, titles, and more. She joined Soarion in May 2023 and was previously the director of credit solutions.

Justin Eddleton was hired as assistant vice president of HomeX Lending in May 2024. He comes from Credit Human where he served as director of sales and marketing. He will manage the credit union’s new department focused on sustainable home lending. He brings more than 16 years of financial industry experience and will oversee strategic planning and development, loan portfolio management, product development, and more.

Did you know the Federal Credit Union Act was born from a grassroots movement to spread cooperative credit in America?

This act, signed into law on June 26, 1934, established the federal credit union system and created the Bureau of Federal Credit Unions, the predecessor to the National Credit Union Administration, to charter and oversee federal credit unions.

💡Ready to master IRAs? Brush up on the basics with IRA Essentials on Oct 16, then take it to the next level with IRA Advanced on Oct 17: https://ow.ly/4eQs50SqcPc

Each virtual training runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Presented in partnership with the Tennessee Credit Union League.

Our CEO Caroline Willard joins MCUL CEO Patty Corkery on the first episode of "Girlfriends, Coffee, and Conversation." They chat about their travel experiences, striking up meaningful conversations, and finding work-life balance.

Michigan Credit Union League & Affiliates

In this episode, Patty offers a fresh take by welcoming friend and fellow CEO Caroline Willard. Instead of the usual business discussions, Patty and Caroline enjoy a relaxed, coffeehouse-style chat. Join Patty and Caroline for a casual and engaging conversation between two industry leaders.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1794380/15240456

Join us in welcoming Ray Bozarth as the new executive director of the League’s political arm in Missouri, the Missouri Credit Union Association. Bozarth brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of leadership in political affairs.

Most recently, he served as chief of staff at the Missouri State Treasurer’s Office, where he spearheaded numerous successful initiatives. Notably, he led the expansion of MOBUCK$, a linked deposit program that allows the State Treasurer’s office to partner with qualified lending institutions to provide low-interest loans to grow and expand economic opportunities across Missouri. Bozarth’s strategic vision and ability to foster strong relationships were instrumental in driving the department’s growth and success.

Ray holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Missouri-Columbia (Mizzou).

Over the next few months, Bozarth will reach out to the leadership at member credit unions to introduce himself and his strategic vision for the next legislative session.

On Jun 17, the Oklahoma Credit Union Association, a political division of Cornerstone League, hosted U.S. Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) for a luncheon with Cornerstone-member credit union leaders ahead of the state’s primary election.

Executive Director Thomas Lewis II reported representation from credit unions across the state, including those from Bartlesville, Lawson, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa.

Opportunities like are important as they strengthen the lines of communication between the legislators’ offices and credit unions.

The Houston Chapter of Credit Unions and CU Alliance hit a hole-in-one with this year's golf tournament, raising a record-breaking $56,405 for children's charities and scholarship funds!⛳

Credit union leaders and vendors from all over Texas joined together on April 24 at the Wildcat Golf Club for a day of fun, competition, and fundraising. The tournament raised awareness of local Houston charities and CU Alliance’s charity, the CUSO’s Dream Educational Foundation.

"The Houston Chapter of Credit Unions commends CU Alliance and its staff for their unwavering support and pivotal role in orchestrating this successful fundraising endeavor,” said Claudia Maldonado, SVP of branch operations for AMOCO Federal Credit Union and chairman of the Houston Chapter of Credit Unions. “Their dedication to the ethos of giving back has been instrumental in the resounding success of the tournament.”

5Point Credit Union announces a new hire and two promotions!

💼 Jimmy Lobrecht has been hired as the branch manager for the Sawdust Branch in Spring, Texas. With a robust career spanning over 20 years in the financial industry, he has excelled in roles such as banking center manager II – vice president, relationship banker, financial specialist, and small business banking specialist.

💼 Kim Siegelin has been promoted to assistant vice president of business services. She joined the credit union in 2008 and has 26 years of financial industry experience. Her previous roles at 5Point include mortgage specialist, business lending specialist, and business services manager.

💼 Tricia Hanley has been promoted to member solutions/collections manager. She joined the credit union in November of 2023 and has 12 years of experience in financial institutions. Her previous roles include member solutions specialist, collections officer, and credit counselor. Hanley obtained an associate degree from Horry-Georgetown Technical College.

Our offices are closed today, June 19, in honor of Juneteenth.

2023 was a game-changer! In our first year as a five-state league, we surpassed budget targets, saw fantastic event participation, and scored big on advocacy.

Read our IMPACT Report for all the highlights: https://ow.ly/JFgw50Skqux

Last Thursday, the Greater Oklahoma Chapter hosted an insightful meeting, including an economic update from Dr. Russell Evans. They explored Oklahoma-specific data on inflation, wage growth, household income, unemployment, and more to better understand their members' financial lives.

Credit Union House of Oklahoma

Learn from the experts at our Bankruptcy & Collections Webinar Series on Aug. 6 and Aug. 13. Speakers include attorneys: Tom Sharp, Sharon Sjostrom, Mike Blalack, and Rob Woodcock. https://ow.ly/KNLN50Sk26V

⏰Early bird pricing ends soon: July 1 for Bankruptcy and July 24 for Collections.

Our amazing Cornerstone staff united for Credit Unions Care Day on June 11! Here’s how our teams made a difference in their communities:

📍Plano, TX: Our team hosted a Splash/Fun Day for the kids at The Family Place, an organization dedicated to empowering survivors of family violence. Their work includes providing safe housing, counseling, and skills for independence, while also advocating for social change to end family violence.

📍Austin, TX: Employees in Austin supported the Central Texas Food Bank, the largest hunger relief charity in Central Texas. This organization, part of Feeding America and Feeding Texas, serves 21 counties with various programs to fight hunger and nourish the community.

📍Little Rock, AR: Our Arkansas team donated to the Little Rock Compassion Center’s food pantry. This inner-city mission is focused on providing hope to those experiencing homelessness and hunger. As summer approaches, their need for food items increases, and we were happy to help.

📍St. Louis, MO: In Missouri, our staff filled food pantries that support military personnel and veterans through the Forces for Food program, run by the Palozola Foundation. This program aids local veterans and active-duty families experiencing food insecurity and uses golf as a therapeutic outlet for veterans with PTSD and physical handicaps.

📍Oklahoma City, OK: In Oklahoma, our team assisted Focus on Home by sorting donated items in their warehouse. Focus On Home works with families striving to improve their circumstances by providing furnished homes through community donations, tailored to their specific needs by family care coordinators.

Thank you to all our dedicated staff and the incredible organizations we partnered with. Together, we’re building stronger, more compassionate communities! 🌍❤️

SHIFT into the future! Registration is open for our region's leading lending and collections conference for credit unions: https://ow.ly/YN4z50ShWhh

Your ticket includes:
• Six general sessions
• Your choice of five of twelve breakout sessions
• Three networking receptions
• Luncheons, breakfasts, and more!

Save $200 with the early bird discount. Ends July 17.