By Greg Michlig
For 16 of the past 18 years, I have had the wonderful experience of attending the CUNA Governmental Affairs Conference in Washington, D.C. The conference has moved on from the Washington Hilton and the eclectic neighborhoods surrounding DuPont Circle to the top of the fantastic Walter E. Washington Convention Center in the vibrant downtown/Gallery Place district. The escalator ride to the top of the convention center seems to be a fittingly analogous annual reminder of the growth and momentum of our movement.
During my trips to GAC, I have had conversations on a wide variety of topics, with a tremendous network of individuals. It is humbling to have so many of our members stop by our exhibit booth to share stories of how CUES has helped them in their professional growth. This year was no exception and two discussions stood out. Each spoke to the essential role CUES plays in the credit union movement.
Greg Michlig, left, visits with Steve Pierson, CEO of BluCurrent Credit Union, Springfield, Mo., during GAC.The first was with a board chairman with a fairly long tenure as a volunteer with his credit union. He and his wife approached me and said they had reviewed some materials on CUES’ director education offerings they had picked up from our booth the previous day. They were both impressed with the content and level of expertise outlined and wanted to discuss further.
As I walked them through the Center for Credit Union Board Excellence, they noted it as an impressive resource to earmark for full board consideration. The gentleman added that he was looking for an event that would be valuable for him and his CEO to attend together. It was an easy segue to CUES Symposium: A CEO/Chairman Exchange. The 2013 CUES Symposium, to be held at the Grand Wailea Resort on Maui, will most certainly be on his radar.
But he pressed for more. So we discussed Directors Leadership Institute: Governance, held at the University of Toronto's Joseph L. Rotman School of Management. This was the level of education the gentleman desired: graduate-level curriculum led by esteemed faculty.
The second discussion was with a long-time executive and CUES member who will join me as a classmate at CEO Institute I: Strategic Planning next month at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. He was eagerly anticipating the week of instruction and noted that he planned to begin reviewing the preparation assignments upon his return home from GAC.
I was impressed to hear that he had been eagerly anticipating the week of instruction for the past seven years! He felt it was important to send two of his vice presidents through another management school in the industry during those seven years. Now, he said, it was his turn. And as such, he committed to the CEO Institute program.
In each of these cases, the individual has already attained success as either a board chairman or a CEO. Both men have served their credit unions for a number of years. Each has attended countless educational events. And, most impressively, both have a thirst to continue their professional growth through superior education at the some of the world’s top business schools.
At CUES we strive to provide opportunities that set the standard for excellence, and bring life- and career-changing experiences to the movement’s volunteers and professionals. In the eyes of these two gentleman and numerous others I have spoken with over the years, it is apparent we are answering that call. I am proud to be a part of the credit union movement, and proud to work alongside such incredible people here at CUES to continue to make a difference.
Greg Michlig is CUES' senior director of member relations.
