Elgin, IL (January 12, 2026) |
Corporate America Family Credit Union, or CAFCU, announced today the appointment of Dr. Matthew Stern, Associate Professor in the School of Accountancy & MIS and Program Director of the Business Analytics Undergraduate Program at DePaul University, as an associate director on its Board of Directors.
In a year marked by strategic transformation led by CEO Stefanie Rupert, CAFCU is accelerating its evolution into a modern, digital-first financial institution. The board’s choice to add a university professor with fintech expertise signals the organization’s commitment to innovation and relevance in the emerging digital credit union landscape.
Bringing Academic Fintech Insight to the Board
Stern is a nationally recognized thought leader in AI, data analytics, and fintech. He brings deep expertise in helping organizations leverage emerging technologies to enhance productivity, improve customer engagement, and make informed strategic decisions. His research and teaching at DePaul focus on using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to automate complex processes, generate insights from data, and improve business performance.
Rupert said adding Stern to the board will help position the credit union for smart growth.
“This is a bold and intentional move as we pave the way for smarter, more personalized digital financial services,” Rupert said. “Dr. Stern’s academic background, consulting experience with credit unions, and passion for technology that serves people — especially in underserved communities — aligns perfectly with our mission to deliver equitable, member-first innovation.”
Academic Innovation in AI
Professor Stern’s recent projects include collaborations with DePaul's Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) students on prompt engineering for large language models like ChatGPT and the use of AI for survey analysis and customer insights. His work has been featured on the cover of Strategic Finance and cited in academic and industry circles alike.
“I’m excited to join CAFCU’s board at a time when fintech innovations like AI-driven personalization and open-banking APIs are creating new opportunities for community-based financial institutions to thrive,” Stern said. “I look forward to supporting CAFCU’s growth strategy and digital evolution through a lens of innovation, ethics, and data-driven service.”
Stern holds a Ph.D. in Accountancy from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has received multiple awards for research excellence and innovative teaching. As a consultant, he has worked with credit unions on AI applications and analytics strategy.
