Last week, we attended the America's Credit Unions Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC) 2024, held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. This was the first gathering of the movement following the merger of CUNA and NAFCU, bringing forth America's Credit Unions, an organization dedicated to advocating for a thriving environment for credit unions nationwide.
In this article, we recap what the events highlights and what impacted us most.
The sessions
Many of the sessions focused on discussing the merger, the organization's mission and vision, and the role of advocacy. Highlights included the fireside chat with the America's Credit Unions Transition Board of Directors Chair, Brian Schools, Vice Chair Lisa Ginter, and President/CEO Jim Nussle's talk. One question that resonated with us was: "What does relentless advocacy look like?"
Fireside chat with the America’s Credit Unions Transition Board of Directors Chair Brian Schools and Vice Chair Lisa Ginter
President/CEO Jim Nussle shares the organization’s mission and vision.
Keynote speakers included former UK Prime Minister Theresa May and actor-humanitarian Gary Sinise. May shared valuable insights about the interplay between politics, business, and technology during times of significant global change, emphasizing the need for a common purpose to drive progress worldwide. Sinise, well-known for his advocacy for America's service members, veterans, and first responders, shared heartfelt stories that reflected his dedication to these communities.
Our team was divided on favorite sessions, with top contenders being Cassandra Worthy's inspiring and timely talk on embracing change and Dr. Jennifer Golbeck's perspectives on the powerful positives and potential pitfalls of AI.
Keynote speaker Cassandra Worthy on change
Networking
The conference provided ample networking opportunities, with an estimated 5,000 credit union professionals, policymakers, and movement leaders in attendance. It was effortless to reconnect with old friends and make new connections in this lively environment. These networking opportunities are invaluable for fostering collaborations that will continue to propel the credit union movement forward.
Here are some of those great networking moments:
Prisma's Customers and Partners
The exhibit hall
The exhibit hall featured 250 vendors, making it the largest in the movement and a prime platform for attendees to explore the latest innovations and solutions in the credit union space. Our booth, located in the area dedicated to CUNA Strategic Service Providers (CSS), showcased caricature drawings, which proved to be a hit and provided visitors with a unique takeaway.
This year's GAC cemented its reputation as the premier event in the credit union movement and set a high bar for future gatherings. We are grateful for the opportunity to sponsor it and eagerly anticipate reconnecting with everyone again from March 2nd to 6th, 2025!
Image credit: America's Credit Union and Camilo Alvarez.