The New York Credit Union Association’s 2022 CEO Roundtable for credit unions up to $100 million in assets, held Tuesday and Wednesday at del Lago Resort Casino in Waterloo, provided ample opportunities for learning, sharing best practices and networking for credit union leaders from around the state.

Kicking off the conference was Diane Pape Reed, CEO of CUDoctor, with her presentation on “The Great Regret: Navigating Today’s Job Market, Recruitment & Retention.” One of the major takeaways from Pape Reed was that 40% of employees report they are unhappy at work and are considering leaving their jobs in the near future, however, the biggest benefit today’s workers want is flexibility.

Reed also said that 72% younger employees, such as Gen Z, either strongly expect or require employers to be committed to DEI. “DEI really matters,” Pape Reed said.

Shawn Temple, director of strategy at On the Mark Strategies, led two sessions Tuesday to facilitate CEO dialogue and open discussion, hitting on a variety of issues currently impacting credit union leaders, including staffing issues, employee retention, members’ financial well-being and more.

Temple provided multiple “strategic action steps,” for credit union leaders, including “don’t butcher your budget; invest to achieve future success,” and “growth will take intentional action and forward thinking,” among others.

Attendees also heard form Chris Lorence, executive director of Credit Union Awareness, who said that New Yorkers are itching to get involved in the YourMoneyFurther program, with more than 1 million of them visiting the YourMoneyFurther.com between January and September of 2022. Lorence discussed the campaign and factors driving the credit union mission.

Why the campaign? Lorence said that 52% of Americans do not have a relationship with a credit union. The key is raising the visibility of access and eligibility, and focusing on access and eligibility.

Since 2019, in states where the Credit Union Awareness program has seen robust engagement, credit unions have seen 20% more memberships and added 1.2 million members, Lorence said.

On Wednesday, Mark Treichel, founder of Credit Union Exam Solutions, and Genevieve Caputo, the Association’s director of compliance provided credit union industry and compliance updates, followed by a third CEO dialogue and open discussion facilitated by Temple.

The event also included updates from the Association’s strategic partners, CUNA Mutual Group and Alloya Corporate FCU.

The Association thanks CUNA Mutual Group for sponsoring the event, and Alloya Corporate FCU for sponsoring the Tuesday evening reception/dinner. And a big thanks to all who attended the 2022 CEO Roundtable for credit unions up to $100 million! Photos from the roundtable can be viewed on the Association’s Facebook page.