Eau Claire, WI – Royal Credit Union is pleased to announce that Amanda Farnham has been selected to attend “Crash the GAC” 2020 by The Cooperative Trust and Credit Union National Association to represent the Wisconsin Credit Union League. Farnham will join over 50 young professional leaders and thousands of credit union advocates for the year’s biggest credit union event, the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC) held in Washington, DC from February 23-27.
“I’m excited to join fellow young professionals to Crash the GAC,” Farnham said. “I’m looking forward to talking to lawmakers about the issues important to credit union YP’s in order to strengthen our ability to best serve our Members. In addition, I know I will enjoy experiencing the event and making new connections in our movement.”
“Crash the GAC” is a non-stop, career-changing program for credit union young professionals that allows them to participate in the industry’s largest advocacy conference with complimentary registration, exclusive networking opportunities, leadership development tools, and mentoring sessions with industry leaders from organizations such as Filene Research Institute, CUNA, and National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF).
“The Crashers bring so much energy and passion to CUNA GAC,” said CUNA President and CEO Jim Nussle. “I always look forward to meeting each new group, knowing that these folks are the people that will lead our movement in the future. I am so impressed with this year’s class and I am excited to see where this leadership opportunity takes them in their careers. CUNA is proud to join Filene and The Cooperative Trust to make this special program possible year after year.”
Representing nearly every U.S. state, the 2020 class of Crashers includes 60 emerging leaders with diverse roles at their credit unions. Crashers are selected though a highly competitive process, earning free attendance at CUNA GAC where they can network and learn from over 5,000 top credit union advocates.
“I’m proud Amanda was selected to be Wisconsin’s crasher at CUNA GAC 2020,” said Brandon Riechers, Royal Credit Union President & CEO. “Amanda is currently serving as Royal’s young professional credit union activist. She attends events with lawmakers to communicate the issues that are important to YP’s and has earned her seat at the table. I know Amanda will do an outstanding job representing Royal and the state of Wisconsin at this important credit union event.”
“We are excited to introduce the next generation of leaders to this life-changing experience,” Filene’s Director for Community Development, Cortney Angeley, commented. “The Cooperative Trust and the Crash Program provides exceptional experiences to help emerging leaders develop their careers. Most importantly, the connections made at CUNA GAC are a catalyst to building a life-long network of passionate credit union advocates.”
Crash the GAC and other Crash events throughout the year are designed to spark new ways of thinking and build lasting relationships for emerging leaders and rising talent within the credit union industry. Crashers will leave the nation’s capital with a new hunger to help strengthen their communities and organizations. This highly competitive opportunity is a launching pad for many young professionals’ careers and gives them the confidence and insight to make a profound and lasting impact in the industry.
Crash the GAC is brought to you by the Cooperative Trust and Filene Research Institute and is made possible by the generous support of CUNA, and with help from League partners.
About Filene: Filene Research Institute strengthens organizations through innovative research and incubation to improve consumer financial well-being. As an independent cooperative finance think tank, Filene’s membership network connects a community of leaders and bright minds to change lives through innovation, truth and cooperation. In addition to delivering cutting- edge, actionable academic research, Filene also provides incubators to test and scale solutions, events to spark organizations into action and advisory services to help accelerate and implement innovation. For more information, visit filene.org and @fileneresearch.
About The Cooperative Trust: The Cooperative Trust, with its award-winning Crash programming, is the international community of emerging credit union professionals, brought to you by Filene Research Institute and made possible by Credit Union National Association. To learn more, check it out live at cooperativetrust.com.
About CUNA: Credit Union National Association (CUNA) is the only national association that advocates on behalf of all of America’s credit unions, which are owned by more than 15 million consumer members. CUNA, along with its network of affiliated state credit union leagues, delivers unwavering advocacy, continuous professional growth and operational confidence to protect the best interests of all credit unions. For more information about CUNA, visit cuna.org.
About Royal Credit Union: Royal Credit Union is a federally insured credit union proudly serving over 220,000 Members in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Royal is driven by a core ideology which is built on strong purpose and values. You can open an account or apply for a low-rate loan at Royal Credit Union if you live or work in 26 counties in western Wisconsin or 16 counties in Minnesota. Counties served in Wisconsin include Adams, Ashland, Bayfield, Barron, Buffalo, Burnett, Chippewa, Clark, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Lincoln, Marathon, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Portage, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, St. Croix, Taylor, Trempealeau, Washburn, and Wood. Counties served in Minnesota include Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Goodhue, Hennepin, Isanti, Olmsted, Pine, Ramsey, Scott, Sherburne, Wabasha, Washington, Winona and Wright. Realtors in the state of Wisconsin or Minnesota are also eligible to join the credit union. Visit rcu.org or call Royal Credit Union at 800-341-9911 for more information.
