2025 Annual Awards: Showing appreciation for your rock star team members is always in season. Nominations are now being accepted for the Montana Credit Union Professional of the Year, Volunteer Board Member of the Year, and Young Professional of the Year awards. Nominating someone is easy; click the relevant category above to download each form and send it to Michelle by May 1. 

New NCUA Chair: President Trump named NCUA Vice Chairman Kyle Hauptman as the new Chairman of the NCUA Board this week. Chairman Hauptman said, “I look forward to leading the agency’s dedicated professionals and working with my board colleagues to create a regulatory structure that promotes growth, opportunity, and innovation within the credit union system." Read more about his priorities in the NCUA media release. Todd Harper and Tanya Otsuka will continue to serve their terms as board members for the agency.

"Stop by" a Virtual Open House: The Native American Credit Union Coalition is hosting its very first informative virtual open house at noon on January 30. Meet the Coalition (including Clearwater CU's Maria Valandra) and learn more about its mission of uniting credit union professionals and institutions serving Indigenous populations.

What We're Reading, Watching, and Listening To

All-Staff Meetings, KPIs, and Quarterly Sprints... Oh My! We're reading a recent Credit Union Times article from Mark Arnold to learn best practices for keeping our strategic planning working for us all year, not just in the fourth wing quarter. (#IYKYK)

Common Communication Concerns: At last week's MCOC Annual Meeting, we learned about the Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast from Matt Abrahams. Since we're all in communications, like it or not, it's a good listen for tips from industry experts.

The Magic of Storytelling: This powerful article from CUInsight tells the story of one woman's journey through financial insecurity. It also provides a few easy ways credit unions can tell their own stories. Do you have a great story to tell? Email Michelle.

Montana CU Advocates in DC: This week, three Montana credit union CEOs traveled to Washington, DC, with Karen and met with Senator Daines — a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee — to emphasize the critical importance of preserving credit unions’ tax-exempt status. With tax reform discussions on the horizon, the CEOs highlighted how this exemption enables credit unions to offer low-cost financial services, invest in local communities, and serve members who might otherwise be underserved.

Their advocacy underscores the role credit unions play in strengthening Montana’s economy and supporting working families. The group also met with newly elected Senator Sheehy and Congressman Downing to introduce them to the credit union difference and its positive impact on Montana’s families and economy.

Pictured here from left to right: John Hageman with Montana CU, Karen Smith with Montana's Credit Unions, Casey Klein with Valley CU, and Darci Parsons with Ravalli County CU. (Click to enlarge.)

This Week's Blogs

A Direct Line: This week's blog introduced you to a two-part webinar series on giving and receiving feedback. Led by two industry experts, the webinars will guide you through the performance evaluation process.

A Roadmap for AI Deployment: Rapid advancements in technology make it crucial for credit unions to understand the promising future of AI. While many credit unions are uncertain about AI, its power could help revolutionize member-facing and back-office operations. Register to join TruStage on February 5 at 11:00 a.m. for an engaging one-hour webinar on key insights from Dr. Lamont Black (DePaul University) and Ron Shevlin (Cornerstone Advisors) as they make a compelling case for AI’s transformative potential in the credit union industry.

Save up to 25%: Subscription tokens from our partner CU Webinar Network can be used anytime to purchase live and on-demand webinars. You can even share tokens with anyone in your credit union! Check out their list of webinars and start building your training library today.

Virtual Professional Development Trainings: We’re excited to partner with the League of Southeastern Credit Unions to offer two valuable virtual training courses on March 25-26 and April 15:

Courageous Conversations

Leaders and managers who attend this session will learn strategies to release fear, build courage, and develop new skills for handling challenging conversations.

"Nonprofit Days" is a new program at Rocky Mountain CU that spotlights some great organizations and people in the community while connecting members and staff to volunteer or donation opportunities. One Friday each month, lightly vetted nonprofits in Helena are invited to set up a table in one of Rocky Mountain CU's branches to educate on the services they provide the community.

This Friday will be their first event, and we can't wait to see how it goes! Learning about nonprofit organizations in the community is the #CUDifference.