Published July 27, 2026
By Skyler Beyer, Community Relations Intern
At Royal Credit Union, team member growth is something we invest in every day. That commitment was on display as Dawn Peterson, Holly Hermanson, and Heather Gubrud recently participated in the Wisconsin Innovation Leadership Development (WILD) program, a six-month leadership and innovation experience that brings together credit union professionals from across the state to develop new ideas, tackle industry challenges, and strengthen the future of the credit union movement.
What Is WILD?
Through WILD, participants work in teams to explore credit union Member's needs, identify opportunities, build solutions, and ultimately present their ideas to credit union leaders from across Wisconsin. The program is built around problem solving, collaboration, and leadership development and helps participants strengthen skills they can bring back to their organizations and communities.
Bringing Ideas to Life
Throughout the course of the program, each Royal team member collaborated on a unique concept designed to address opportunities facing credit unions.
Dawn Peterson | Team Vision Builders
Dawn (Branch Manager) partnered with Team Vision Builders to develop FinWell, a concept designed to identify early signs of financial stress using data credit unions already have. The goal is to help credit unions proactively support Members before financial challenges become a crisis.
"Working on a project focused on helping Members before financial challenges become a crisis was incredibly rewarding. WILD reminded me how much opportunity there is to use innovation and collaboration to make a real difference for the people we serve." Said Dawn
Holly Hermanson | Team CU-llective
Holly (Community Relations Coordinator) collaborated with Team CU-llective to create With You Rewards, a Member engagement program designed to strengthen relationships with 18–24-year-old Members by rewarding meaningful digital interactions and encouraging long-term connection with their credit union.
"The project was a great experience, but the best part of WILD was learning alongside people from different credit unions and hearing new perspectives. It challenged me to think differently and gave me ideas I can bring back to my work at Royal." Holly said.
Heather Gubrud | Team WOW
Heather (Digital Accounts and Deposits Manager) worked alongside Team WOW to develop CU Online Community, a concept that helps Members build confidence using digital banking tools through peer learning, educational resources, and ongoing support. The platform is designed to help Members adapt to changing technology while reducing frustration and improving adoption of digital services.
"One of my favorite parts of WILD was working with a team that brought so many different perspectives and ideas. It pushed me to think outside the box and reinforced how important it is to keep finding ways to make things easier and more accessible for Members." Heather said.
Learning, Leading, and Growing
The WILD experience concluded with team presentations at the Wisconsin Credit Union League Annual Convention, where participants shared their concepts with hundreds of credit union professionals from across the state.
The program gave participants the opportunity to build new relationships, strengthen leadership skills, and explore fresh ways of thinking about Member service and financial well-being. Those experiences, along with the lessons learned along the way, will continue to benefit Royal, its members, and the communities Royal serves.
Congratulations to Holly, Heather, and Dawn on this outstanding achievement! Supporting team members' development is an important part of Royal's culture. Learn more about joining our team at rcu.org/Careers.
