DCUC Conference: Wednesday Recap

​COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – DCUC’s Annual Conference is a unique event, being the only conference within the industry that offers attendees the DoD and military perspective on credit union services and issues. DCUC has long recognized the difference credit unions make in the daily lives of our nation’s military and veterans. Once again, this year’s conference offers credit unions an opportunity to gather and discuss the specific challenges that come with serving this unique population while also gaining insights on the latest legislative and regulatory issues.

The conference continued Wednesday, August 9, with its traditional patriotic opening ceremony led by current DCUC Board Chair Bill Birnie. Anthony Hernandez, DCUC president/CEO, followed DCUC’s Chair and provided the attendees with a glance into DCUC’s past sixty years of service and where DCUC’s vision lies looking to the years ahead.
 
DCUC’s first presentation of the day was Erik Wahl’s keynote, “The Art of Vision.” Wahl, who is an artist, TED Speaker, and author, shared how important creativity is to an organization’s strength when paired with the usual skills considered important in the business world.  Attendees and guests were able to watch Wahl create live art on stage during the presentation, which was generously donated by Wahl for DCUC’s Conference with a Purpose Silent Auction.
 
Following Wahl’s presentation, attendees heard from 4-star Air Force General Robin Rand and his “Decades of Leadership Lessons,” sharing what he would do if he could do it over again. General Rand’s discussion broke down desired leadership traits into real-life examples from his own leadership experience and human shortfalls.
 
Afterward, Hernandez, AFFN’s President/CEO John Broda, and AFFN’s VP of Member Engagement Scott Duszynski led a TED talk-style conversation on the 4 decades of partnership between DCUC and AFFN. Their discussion covered recent milestones, successes, challenges, and upcoming opportunities.
 
The Credit Union of the Year awards were then presented to both the Department of the Army and the Department of the Navy credit union recipients; Andrews Federal Credit Union was recognized by the Department of the Army, and both Navy Federal Credit Union and Topside Federal Credit Union were recognized by the Department of the Navy.
 
Wednesday’s session continued through the afternoon featuring three additional guest speakers. Attendees heard from Lieutenant General B.J Schwedo (ret.), SVP of Special Programs at PenFed Credit Union, as he provided a Cyberspace Update; Jeanine Gilson, Deputy Chief Financial Officer for Accounting and Business Operations at the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), and her insights from years of serving our Nation’s veterans; and the Honorable Todd Harper, Chairman of The National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) who joined Hernandez on stage to discuss the current state of the Credit Union system and provided insights on behalf of the NCUA.
 
Once the general session concluded, DCUC Annual Conference attendees and guests enjoyed a patriotic cocktail hour sponsored by Mutual of Omaha on the beautiful lakeside terrace of the Broadmoor Resort. Back by popular demand, Mutual of Omaha returned to this year’s Annual Conference with their Wild Kingdom with exotic animals such as a Tegu lizard, small alligator, macaw, boa constrictor, serval cat, and kinkajou.