Volunteers’ Conference

*Subject to Change*
Friday, October 23
1:00 - 1:15 pm: Welcome
1:15 - 2:15 pm: Jeff Rendell | Smarter Growth: How AI Enhances the Member Experience and Expands Your Impact
2:30 - 3:30 pm: Denny Graham | Lessons from 40 Years of Mergers
5:00 - 6:00 pm: Social Reception
6:00 - 7:00 pm: Dinner
7:00 - 8:00 pm: Evening Entertainment | Julia Gagnon

Saturday, October 24
7:30 - 8:45 am: Breakfast
8:45 - 9:45 am: Dustin Daniels | Built Different: The Economic Case for the Credit Union Model
9:45 - 10:15 am: Break & Time to Check Out of Rooms
10:15 - 11:15 am: Tim Harrington | Governing at the Speed of Digital
11:30 am - 12:30 pm: Lunch
12:30 - 1:30 pm: Breakout Sessions
Jeff Rendell | The 10XCU Edge: Results, Trends & the Future of High-Performing Credit Unions
Other breakout session information coming soon!
1:30 pm: Adjourn

We will be joined by Denny Graham, Tim Harrington, and Jeff Rendel.

Governing at the Speed of Digital | Board Governance after the Pandemic Is NOT Business as Normal.
Board members keep saying, “I can’t wait until it gets back to normal”. Well, this is the new normal. We have reached a ‘tipping-point’ and have crossed into a new era of board governance. As one board chair said, “Management has to respond very fast to changing market conditions. We need to learn to Govern much faster or we will just slow the credit union down”.  What a critical piece of wisdom from that Chair. Boards need to learn to move fast, yet at the same time, maintain oversight of the credit union so that they don’t cede the board’s governance job to management. This talk will cover how governance has made a huge jump forward in the last 12 months, how the board must know what’s going on within the credit union, how the board can focus on the key gauges and be ready to make fast, well informed decisions. Welcome to Governing at the Speed of Digital.

Author, consultant and speaker Tim Harrington has worked with credit unions in 49 states, Canada, Jamaica, Mexico, the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. His progressive ideas and broad knowledge of credit union issues has made Tim a valuable resource for credit unions nationwide. Tim has spoken to tens of thousands of credit union volunteers and staff and continues to inspire them to improve their credit unions.

Since 1996, Tim has been President of TEAM Resources, a firm providing consulting, strategic planning, and training to credit unions from coast-to-coast. TEAM Resources’ clients range from a few million to the billions in assets.

Because of his knowledge, wit and unpretentious delivery, Tim is a much sought-after speaker in the credit union movement. Tim has made presentations at conferences for CEOs, Directors, Supervisory Committees, lenders, marketers, and many more. Tim is on the faculty of the CUNA Finance for Non-Financial Managers and Volunteers School, CUNA Volunteer Certification School and CUNA Management School.

Tucson, Arizona has been home for Tim since 1980, but he is a native of Montana. He holds a BBA in Accounting from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. He has also attended universities in Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico and Florence, Italy and speaks several languages.

Keynote: Smarter Growth: How AI Enhances the Member Experience and Expands Your Impact
AI isn’t just a technology upgrade — it’s a growth strategy. For credit unions that want to scale member relationships, increase efficiency, and deliver personalized value at every touchpoint, AI is a must-have advantage. This session explores how future-focused credit unions are using AI to elevate the member experience — with faster service, smarter insights, and more tailored solutions — while also freeing staff to focus on what they do best: building trust and connection. You’ll learn how to lead AI adoption with intention, align it with your mission, and create a human-centered approach to digital transformation. Because when you pair powerful technology with credit union values, you don’t just grow - you grow better. 

Breakout: The 10XCU Edge: Results, Trends & the Future of High-Performing Credit Unions 
What separates credit unions that consistently outperform from those that simply keep pace? Drawing from the 10XCU research model, Jeff Rendel examines the financial, growth, member, operating, and strategic characteristics of sustained high performers. The session will also explore emerging trends reshaping the credit union business model — including scale, member relationships, technology, capital deployment, operating efficiency, and changing competitive expectations. Participants will leave with a clearer picture of where high-performing credit unions are headed and the strategic questions their organizations should be considering now.

Jeff Rendel, Certified Speaking Professional, knows the financial services marketplace. With experience as a federal banking regulator, financial services executive, and Congressional lobbyist; he understands the balancing act of safety, soundness, sales, and strategy.

As President of Rising Above Enterprises, Jeff works with community financial institutions that want 10X-level outcomes in leadership, sales, service, and strategy. Each year, he addresses, advises, and facilitates for nearly 100 financial institutions and their system partners.

Built Different: The Economic Case for the Credit Union Model
Most directors can describe what a credit union does. Fewer can explain why the model exists, what makes it structurally distinct from every other financial institution in the market, and what it is genuinely capable of when it operates at its best.

This session is a ground-up look at the economics of democratic governance, covering the market failures banks were never designed to fix, the information asymmetries that make member-owned institutions structurally different, and the principal-agent dynamics that make credit union governance both more complicated and more meaningful than a typical corporate board. The second half moves from theory to practice, spotlighting credit unions doing high-impact work on housing, financial access, and economic inclusion — not as feel-good stories, but as proof points for a model built to do things others cannot. And a challenge to every director in the room to ask how well their institution is actually living up to it.

Directors will leave with sharper analytical tools, a stronger sense of the movement's differentiated value, and a clearer answer to the question that should drive every board decision: what are we really here for?

Dustin Daniels began serving as a Credit Union board member when he was 25 years old.  A decade later, he is the current Treasurer of Loyalty Credit Union; a midsize CDFI serving the entire panhandle of Florida. He is an economist and organizational strategist who works with mission-driven institutions in the U.S. and abroad to turn bold ideas into lasting results. With senior leadership experience across the public, private, and social sectors in more than ten countries, Dustin brings a cross-disciplinary perspective to helping organizations grow, adapt, and deliver impact. He teaches at the College of Charleston and serves as Founder & CEO of Luminary Consulting. He is a first generation graduate of Florida State University, the London School of Economics, and The Broad Center.

Lessons from 40 Years of Mergers
With more than 50 years in banking and consulting, much of it focused on credit unions, Denny Graham brings a uniquely experienced perspective to the merger process. He has worked with credit union boards and management on both sides of the table—helping institutions prospect for and acquire other credit unions, while also helping struggling credit unions identify the right merger partner. He’s seen successful mergers, deals that fell apart, tough negotiations, unusual negotiations, and everything in between.

For 15 years, Denny also led a merger conference with CU Conferences and Jerry Tenbrink, teaching thousands of credit union directors and officers how mergers work in the real world. In this session, Denny will share lessons from his decades of experience, exploring:

• Why a credit union might acquire another credit union—or a bank
• Why a credit union might consider being acquired
• How the merger process works and what to expect during negotiations
• The evolving “norms” and expectations surrounding mergers
• What happens to the member throughout the process
• Why mergers fall apart and how to avoid common pitfalls
• How to avoid becoming an acquisition candidate
• Why every credit union should consider developing a merger policy

The room block is currently sold out. We will do our best to inform anyone waiting if other rooms open up. If you need to cancel rooms, please reach out to Jordan Inkley directly so she can offer them to anyone else that is waiting on a room.

Additional hotels in the area:

• Strawberry Hill/Island View Inn
• Berry Manor Inn
• Rockland Harbor Hotel
• Lime Rock Inn
• 250 Main Hotel
• Ledges by the Bay
• Glen Cove Inn