The 2020 Credit Union National Association’s Governmental Affairs Conference – #CUNAGAC at the Washington Convention Center
National political leaders including Calabria, Cutter, Haley, Hood, Kraninger to address the CUNA Governmental Affairs Conference
WASHINGTON, DC (February 24, 2020) — The 2020 Credit Union National Association’s Governmental Affairs Conference (CUNA GAC) is being held February 23 – 26 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. CUNA GAC is the premier event for political impact in the credit union industry, gathering thousands of industry leaders to remind policymakers how credit unions advance communities and empower financial well-being.
Credit unions annually provide $18.9 billion in total financial benefit to consumers across the country through higher savings and returns, lower loan rates and fewer fees.
This annual event will feature a slew of congressional speakers, keynote addresses and breakout session panelists throughout the week. There will be a reserved section for press during each general session and you can RSVP for complimentary press registration here.
Today’s full schedule of events, which is subject to change, can be found below. Additional details for the week are found at the bottom of this email.
Note: *Indicates events that are closed to press and/or off the record.
Monday, February 24th
9:30 am – Opening presentation with Jim Nussle, CUNA President/CEO
10:00 am – Remarks by Gigi Hyland, National Credit Union Foundation Executive Director
10:15 am – General Session with Keynote Speaker Marcus Buckingham, Best-selling author and global researcher
11:15 pm – Exhibit Hall Open
1:00 pm – Remarks from Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Mark Calabria
1:20 pm – CUNA’s Annual General Meeting featuring comments by Brett Martinez, CUNA Board Chairman, President/CEO of Redwood Credit Union
1:45 pm – Advocacy update with Ryan Donovan, CUNA Chief Advocacy Officer
2:15 pm – Remarks by National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Board Member J Mark McWatters
3:00 pm – Breakout Sessions
Economic Update. Against a backdrop of the record-setting recovery, big questions need answers: Will trade and tariff concerns continue to ease? Will the Federal Reserve continue to provide support? Will divisive politics bruise consumer confidence? This session will explore these and related issues with a focus on implications of key economic developments, potential credit union responses and prospects for future success.
Moderator
Mike Schenk, Deputy Chief Advocacy Officer & Chief Economist, CUNA
Panelists
Jordan van Rijn, Senior Economist, CUNA
What’s New on the Litigation Front? In recent years, credit unions have encountered growing litigation risk in a broad range of areas. Given this constantly evolving landscape, what issues should credit unions be paying attention to? Our panel of professionals will provide updates on litigation “hot spots” and their potential affect credit union operations.
Moderator
Alexander Monterrubio, Senior Director of Advocacy & Counsel, CUNA
Panelists
Cristina Miller, Partner, Styskal, Wiese & Melchione, LLP
Michael Rounds, Shareholder, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
Michael Pryor, Shareholder, Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber, Schreck LLP
Nicholas R. Santucci, Associate, Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber, Schreck LLP
Advancing Communities Through the Credit Union Difference. Learn how credit unions are solving big problems in local communities – and advancing credit union priorities in the process.
Moderator
Debbie Painter, Pres/CEO of Kentucky CUL
Panelists
Connecticut State Senator Eric Berthel
Dan Newberry, Oklahoma State Senator
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: The Business Case and Beyond. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) matters now more than ever for credit unions. Decades of research show that there is an undeniable business case for DEI, but that’s not all. Join this breakout session to learn why DEI is more than a passing fad and how it will position credit unions for the future by strengthening competitive advantage and relevance, while deepening alignment with our values.
Moderator
Angela Russell, VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, CUNA Mutual Group
Panelists
Victor Corro, CEO, Coopera
Kevin Martin, Senior VP of SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union and President, AACUC West Coast Chapter
Eric Hansing, VP Multicultural and Corporate Strategy
The Globalization of Credit Union Regulation. What happens in the rest of the world is increasingly shaping what happens here at home. This session will explore how international standards and trends have a direct impact on credit unions here in the United States. Everything from privacy regulations, digitization, financial inclusion, and capital standards will be discussed, both from a regulatory perspective and from the perspective of a credit union.
Moderator
Ryan Donovan, Chief Advocacy Officer, CUNA
Panelists
Andy Price, WOCCU
Steve Stapp, President & CEO of Unitus Community Credit Union
*Google Pay 101. Join staff from Google, Stanford Federal Credit Union and NCUA as they discuss Google’s plans to partner with financial institutions to provide checking services through Google Pay and how it will impact credit unions. Note: This session is closed to press
Moderator
Glen Sarvady, Managing Principal, 154 Advisors
Panelists
Joan Opp, President & CEO of Stanford Federal Credit Union
Erika Peterson, Global Partnerships, Google
Michael Sinacore, Deputy Director for External Affairs and Communications, NCUA
Tuesday, February 25th
9:00 am – Opening remarks by National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Board Chairman Rodney Hood
9:30 am – Remarks by Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC), House Financial Services Committee
9:40 am – Remarks by Senator Cory Gardner (R-NC), Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs
9:50 am – Remarks by Kathy Kraninger, Director of the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB)
10:20 am – Remarks by Troy Stang, Incoming CUNA Chairman
10:35 am – Presentation on Awareness Initiative’s “Open Your Eyes to a Credit Union” by Chris Lorence, CUNA Chief Awareness Officer
10:50 am – General Session with Keynote Speaker Nikki Haley, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
12:00 pm — Exhibit Hall Open
2:00 pm – Remarks from Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA), House Financial Services Committee (HFSC)
2:15 pm – General Session with Keynote Speaker David Plouffe, presidential campaign architect and bestselling author
3:00 pm – Breakout Sessions
*DEI — a Perspective from Capitol Hill. A conversation on the effort to expand diversity, equity and inclusion in industry though federal policy. Featuring senior congressional staff leading on this issue. Note: This session is closed to press
Moderator
Mitria Wilson, Senior Director of Advocacy & Counsel, CUNA
Panelists
Kimberly Ross, Chief of Staff to Rep. Joyce Beatty
Chay English, Chief of Staff to Rep. Terri Sewell
Charlyn Stanberry, Chief of Staff to Yvette Clarke
Angela Ramirez, Chief of Staff to Rep. Ben Ray Lujan
Charla Ouertatania, Staff Director to the House Financial Services Committee
Economic Update. Against a backdrop of the record-setting recovery, big questions need answers: Will trade and tariff concerns continue to ease? Will the Federal Reserve continue to provide support? Will divisive politics bruise consumer confidence? This session will explore these and related issues with a focus on implications of key economic developments, potential credit union responses and prospects for future success.
Moderator
Mike Schenk, Deputy Chief Advocacy Officer & Chief Economist, CUNA
Panelists
Jordan van Rijn, Senior Economist, CUNA
*Credit Union CEO Breakout. An opportunity to network, share insights and exchange ideas with other forward-thinking credit union CEOs in a candid and enlightening session. Participate in CEO-relevant discussions in a roundtable format with your peers. Conducted by the CUNA CEO Council. Note: This session is closed to press
Navigating the Current Compliance Minefield. It is a fact that every one of your products, services and delivery channels are covered by multiple laws, rules and regulations. And, with every rule comes more risk of a compliance violation! Consumer protection compliance is an NCUA 2020 Supervisory Priority and “consumer protection” litigation is at an all-time high. Given that trend, credit unions may actually have more to fear from the litigators than the regulators. Join this interactive session on the pressing matters of regulatory compliance and the best practices your institution should deploy.
Moderator
Jared Ihrig, Chief Compliance Officer, CUNA
Panelists
David Reed, Partner, Reed & Jolly
John Christenson, Associate General Counsel with CUNA Mutual Group
Why Financial Health & Wellness Matters and How Credit Unions Can Help. This session will focus on ways credit unions can promote financial health and wellness for their members, and how financial health and wellness are critical to all aspects of a person’s life.
Moderator
Gigi Hyland, Executive Director, National Credit Union Foundation
Panelists
Janneke Ratcliffe, Assistant Director, Office of Financial Education, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Creighton Blackwell, Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Community Engagement, Coastal Credit Union Solynn McCurdy, SVP of Cooperative Affairs, BECU
Privacy Driven. Member Powered. This session will address the privacy challenges facing your credit union from GDPR to the California Consumer Privacy Act and other states that are considering their own versions of privacy legislation. Hear from your credit union peers on how they are using privacy-enhancing technology to deliver on the privacy promise in the digital age.
Moderator
John Ainsworth, CEO, CU Ledger
Panelists
Gordon Howe, CEO, Unify Financial CU
Ron Amstutz, EVP, Desert Financial CU
Bob Child, Executive VP, CU Direct
Todd Clark, CEO, COOP
Yasmin Bedir, Executive VP, MasterCard
Lance Noggle, CUNA Senior Director of Advocacy for Payments & Cybersecurity
Wednesday, February 26th
8:30 am – Remarks from elected officials: Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO), House Financial Services Committee (HFSC), Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-MI), House Financial Services Committee (HFSC), Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO), House Financial Services Committee (HFSC)
9:50 pm – Remarks by National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Board Member Todd Harper
10:35 am – Closing Address with Keynote Speakers Nicolle Wallace, political analyst and ancho, and Stephanie Cutter, political consultant, moderated by incoming CUNA Chairman Troy Stang
About CUNA
Credit Union National Association (CUNA) is the only national association that advocates on behalf of all of America’s credit unions, which are owned by 135 million consumer members. CUNA, along with its network of affiliated state credit union leagues, delivers unwavering advocacy, continuous professional growth and operational confidence to protect the best interests of all credit unions. For more information about CUNA, visit cuna.org. To find your nearest credit union, visit YourMoneyFurther.com.
