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CEO Roundtable Continues Tradition of Dialogue, Cooperation

(Albany, NY) – More than 40 attendees gathered in Syracuse this week for the Credit Union Association of New York’s eighth annual CEO Roundtable. The event offered leaders from credit unions with assets of up to $50 million a valuable opportunity to dialogue and hear industry updates.

Over the course of two days, the attendees participated in two comprehensive dialogue sessions facilitated by George Towle, a nationally respected credit union consultant and partner at The Rochdale Group, Inc.

“My favorite part of this year’s agenda was George’s ability to get the group involved, posing questions and engaging everyone in sharing their thoughts and ideas,” said attendee Barry Stilwell, CEO/manager of Canandaigua FCU.

The group discussed several topics, including: loan generation, business development, compliance issues, technology needs and the value of cooperation. Throughout the conversations, credit union leaders shared their own best practices, concerns and ideas.

“The open discussion is always my favorite part of this event,” said attendee Sue Giudice, CEO/treasurer of Chen-del-O FCU. “It’s a comfort knowing that there is someone else in the group who has or has had the same issues you’re having in your credit union. We all ‘feed off’ of each other well and share ideas and solutions.”

Laura Dewey, manager of Greece Community FCU and member of the Roundtable Steering Committee, also appreciated the open discussion. “I have met many peers that I feel comfortable reaching out to during the year because of the relationships formed at this event,” she shared.   In addition to the dialogue sessions, Roundtable attendees were offered a full agenda of presentations and updates, including:

  • a presentation on auto lending strategies and trends, led by CU Direct Corporation’s Mike Ferraro;
  • an insightful look the goals and skills of young credit union professionals, offered by Young Professionals Commission member and 2012 Outstanding Young Professional Heather Wood;
  • a timely compliance update from Association Compliance Director Mike Carter; and
  •  an overview of CUNA Mutual Group’s technology resources for credit unions, provided by sales manager Chris Guild; and
  • a summary of Alloya Corporate FCU’s positive milestones and progress over the past year, provided by the corporate’s COO Kevin Brauer.

A steering committee of three, including Michael Bradshaw, manager of Ed-Med FCU; Laura Dewey, CEO of Greece Community FCU; and Rosita Leone, Manager of Sisters Hospital EFCU, helped develop the event.

The Credit Union Association of New York has served as the trade association for the state’s credit unions for 95 years. New York credit unions have assets of more than $57 billion and serve 4.6 million members. To learn more about the Association, visit www.cuany.org.

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