Leading a CDFI credit union can feel a little lonely sometimes.
You’re juggling mission and margin, trying to deploy capital where it’s needed most, wrestling with grant compliance, and translating all that good work into impact stories that actually resonate. Meanwhile, there aren’t exactly a ton of other executives who get what your Tuesday looks like.
That’s about to change.
Callahan & Associates and CU Strategic Planning are bringing CDFI credit union leaders together for their first-ever in-person CDFI Executive Roundtable on May 19-20, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio. No stuffy conferences. No death by PowerPoint. Just real conversations with the people who understand your world because they’re living it too.
Why This Matters
CDFI credit unions occupy a unique space in financial services. You’re not just moving money around—you’re expanding access to financial opportunity, building economic resilience in underserved communities, and serving as anchors when everything else feels unstable. It’s meaningful work. It’s also incredibly demanding work.
The challenge? You’re often doing it without a deep bench of peers who truly understand the pressure. Not many executives are simultaneously managing mission expectations, navigating complex funding streams, staying on top of specialized compliance requirements, and keeping the lights on. This roundtable creates space for the people who do understand to actually connect, compare notes, and learn from each other’s wins and faceplants.
How It Actually Works
If you’ve been to a Callahan roundtable before, you know the drill. If you haven’t, here’s what makes these different: there’s no pre-baked agenda handed down from on high. The executives in the room decide what gets discussed based on what’s actually keeping them up at night. Every conversation reflects real priorities from leaders actively doing the work, not theoretical case studies from consultants.
Stacy Augustine (President), Rick Thomas (Vice President of Account Management at CU Strategic Planning), and Jennifer Davis (Vice President at Callahan) will facilitate, but the content comes from you.
What’s Likely on the Table
While the agenda belongs to attendees, these are the topics CDFI leaders are wrestling with right now:
- Balancing mission and financial sustainability without compromising either
- Deploying capital effectively so it creates actual community impact
- Crafting impact narratives that cut through the noise
- Managing grants and funding as the landscape shifts beneath your feet
- Building internal capacity to scale and serve more members
- Staying ahead of regulatory and reporting requirements (the fun never stops)
- Forming strategic partnerships with leagues and community organizations
Who This Is For
This roundtable is built for credit union executives who are directly involved in CDFI strategy, leadership, and community impact. If you’re a CDFI-certified credit union leader—or working toward certification—and you have roundtable access through your Callahan subscription, you’re in at no additional cost. Same goes for affiliates of the Ohio Credit Union League.
Not a current client? Non-client CDFIs can register for a fee. Either way, seats are limited, so don’t sleep on this.
Ready to register? Head here. Questions about eligibility, fees, or registration? Reach out to marketing@callahan.com.
Sometimes the best strategy sessions happen when you stop presenting to each other and just start talking. This is one of those times.
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Trump FY27 budget proposes reduction of CDFI Fund by $204.5M