Press
Volunteer Conference brings together leaders from NY, PA
ALBANY, NY and HARRISBURG, PA (October 22, 2013) — Nearly 100 credit union volunteer leaders gathered for the 2013 Volunteer Conference hosted by the Credit Union Association of New York and the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association last week. The conference was held Oct. 18-19 at the Otesaga Resort Hotel in Cooperstown, N.Y., and attracted board directors and supervisory committee members from both states.
CUANY President/CEO William J. Mellin welcomed the group Oct. 18, saying, “I always feel so privileged to be at this event, because your volunteer leadership and service is a huge part of what makes credit unions so great.”
After hearing from both Mellin and PCUA Director of Education & Professional Development Pamela Stein, the group began an agenda packed with timely topics and open discussions. General session speakers included ServU FCU CEO Nancy Williamson and practical strategist and growth coach Dr. Michael Hudson.
“All the speakers I had the opportunity to hear during the conference were very informative,” said Trudy Hollenbach, assistant manager/board secretary at NU Community CU (Milton, Pa.) “They shared many good ideas that I plan to take back to my credit union. This is definitely one of the most informative conferences I have attended this year.”
Concurrent breakout sessions were also held for board members and supervisory committee members, enabling attendees to focus on issues most pertinent to their roles at the credit union. The sessions were led by national industry experts, including Hudson; Joel Slagan, PCUA; Torpey J. White, Compliance Services Group and Sun East FCU; and Tracy E. Mount, CU Consulting LLC.
“The content was very relevant, and it was presented in a way that could be understood regardless of your background,” said attendee Mary Smith, a supervisory committee member at Niagara’s Choice FCU (Niagara Falls, N.Y.). “The networking opportunities were also wonderful.”
Networking was cited by many attendees as the top benefit of attending the event—including Hudson River Community CU (Corinth, N.Y.) Board President Stuart Field, who said, “The interaction with directors from other credit unions was that I liked best about this conference.”