Lydia Wedlock, editorial assistant, The Credit Union Connection
The first full day of GAC 2025 in Washington, D.C., was full of excitement for the credit union mission and how it can take its next steps. At the general session, Coastal Credit Union Chief Administrative Officer Mia Perez, National Credit Union Foundation Executive Director Lauren Culp and America’s Credit Unions President/CEO Jim Nussle opened the festivities and shared their thoughts on how the credit union industry has changed and how it can continue moving forward.
Together, We Move
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the GAC, and this year’s theme, Together, We Move, is all about how credit unions have come together to make things happen and move forward into the future. Jim spoke at length at how credit unions need to stay united while advocating, be ready to face the current chaotic times and to tell the stories of the impact credit unions make in their communities.
Jim called out the criticality of making it clear to members the phrase “people helping people” is not just a slogan.
“I hate to say it, but people helping people is now something that my local gas station talks about. We’ve got to make that come alive today. It can’t just be a campfire song that we sing, that we don’t make come alive for the people we serve.”
Lauren focused on how much credit unions can achieve when they work together.
“One single molecule of water cannot boil on its own. One molecule of water, an individual molecule, is actually incapable of boiling on its own. Water can only boil when there are many molecules together, sharing their energy and achieving together and achieving together a new level, a new state that they were incapable of achieving on their own.”
Becoming an ‘Impactful’ Leader
The keynote speaker, Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley Carla Harris, talked about how the leadership space has shifted drastically in the last several years. The COVID-19 pandemic drastically changed how we work, and now, employees have more of a voice than ever before, meaning that the leadership techniques of old simply just don’t work the same in today’s workplace. She went on to share what she calls the “pearls of impactful* leadership” and how they can be applied in the workplace. Her pearls included:
- Building trust with staff
- Helping create the next generation of leaders
- Giving voice to things by calling them what they are
Overall, the general session made its point clear that credit unions are facing challenging times, but through cooperation and leadership, credit unions, as a cooperative movement, can move forward into the future.
*This editor doesn’t believe impactful is a word, but because it’s a direct quote, I’m gonna let it slide. – SSC