The credit union movement owes an incalculable debt to women; according to Filene Research Institute, they make up seven out of ten credit union professionals. Without their contribution, credit unions wouldn’t have achieved the phenomenal growth that has resulted in more than 110 million U.S. members.

Unfortunately, as with most industries, a leadership gap exists. The same Filene research shows that only 37% of women occupy a high-level management role and that women leaders are mostly concentrated at credit unions with less than $50 million in assets.

With the deep pool of untapped female leadership talent available, it’s in the interest of credit unions to help women rise in their ranks. One way that CUNA is aiding the advancement of women leaders is by hosting the Women’s Leadership Workshop at America’s Credit Union Conference.

The business case for diversity is strong – and something that all leaders should understand and support. In fact, our workshop is open to everyone because we believe that everyone has a role in fostering diversity and building opportunities for talented people.

Over the course of two days at this special event, dynamic female leaders will share their success stories and offer their perspectives on how credit unions can make it easier for women to thrive as executives, managers or directors.

We’ll also be discussing the skills that women need to cultivate to make it as leaders: resilience, progressive thinking, tactful communication, judicious decision making, and ambition, to name a few.

The list of inspiring, talented women who will speak at the workshop include:

• CUNA Chief Engagement & Transformation Officer Mollie Bell, who will delve into the personal aspects of leadership and help attendees understand their own leadership stories (and ensure they end with success).
• Speaker, author and organizational change expert Brandi Stankovic, who will explore ideas from her latest book, The Strategic MVP, to show how leaders can enhance their impact by building their strategy around the strengths and blind spots in themselves and others.
• Author, speaker and leadership expert Stacey Hanke, who will share her proven “influence model” of leadership that improves communication and makes it easier to make an impact on your team.

In addition to these speakers, the workshop will host small group discussion roundtables where industry mentors share their perspectives. Plus, there will be a special reception at the end of the first day at Giada de Laurentiis’ restaurant, GIADA.