Press

Washington, DC (April 2, 2015) – Keynote speakers Mike Abrashoff and Jeremy Gutsche will push attendees to hone their leadership and innovation skills at the National Association of Federal Credit Unions (NAFCU) 48th Annual Conference and Solutions Expo in Montreal, which takes place June 23-26. The conference coincides with Montreal’s world-renowned International Jazz Festival.

“Abrashoff and Gutsche are vibrant speakers whose professional, innovative approaches will help credit unions modernize, recognize trends and maximize their bottom lines,” said Dan Berger, NAFCU’s president and CEO.

NAFCU’s conference is open to everyone working in the credit union industry. Conference planners note that a passport is required for travel to Canada; the early-bird deadline to save on conference registration fees is April 24.

Abrashoff is a former U.S. Navy captain who took command of the very underachieving USS Benfold and turned the ship around into a top Navy performer. His riveting story is the basis of his best-selling book “It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy.” Abrashoff will share how he turned his ship into the best (darn) ship in the Navy without having the power to hire, fire, change strategy or choose his technology.

Gutsche is the founder and CEO of TrendHunter.com, which is the world’s largest network for trend spotting and innovation. He just released his new book, “Get Better and Faster,” aimed at improving one’s ability to adapt to change and find ideas faster. Gutsche will teach attendees how to spot patterns in the market and identify ways to overcome the psychological traps that block success.

This year’s conference will also feature Berger and the rest of NAFCU’s Government Affairs staff. NCUA Chairman Debbie Matz will also make remarks.

More conference highlights include:

• scores of focused breakout sessions to address regulation, lending, income, membership, technology, and financial services trends;
• the Small Credit Union Roundtable, a town-hall style session to discuss issues and opportunities facing this group of credit unions;
• the CEOs’ Forum, Chairs’ Caucus, Senior Management Forum and Board of Directors and Supervisory Committee Forum to allow credit unions to discuss concerns and share ideas with their peers;
• the Solutions Expo, the hub for the latest technologies, applications and resources available to help improve credit union operations.

Credit union officials attending this year’s conference can register for an optional pre-conference workshop that will earn them the designation of NAFCU Certified Volunteer Expert. Workshop registrants will also receive the new NAFCU Credit Union Director Handbook written by Anthony Demangone, NAFCU’s executive vice president and COO.

The 2015 conference lineup wouldn’t be possible without its sponsors, which include NAFCU Services Corporation, Affinion Group, CUNA Mutual Group, PARABIT, FHLBanks, MasterCard, CO-OP Financial Services, and VISA.

Visit www.nafcu-annual.org to learn more and register. Follow the #NAFCUAnnual hashtag for the latest information on the conference.

The National Association of Federal Credit Unions is the only national trade association that exclusively represents the interests of federally chartered credit unions before the federal government and the public.