Mike Bremer, CMFG Life Insurance Company, CUNA Mutual Group

Mike is an executive benefits specialist for CUNA Mutual Group, a company that specializes in the design, implementation, financing and ongoing administrative support of supplemental executive benefit programs specifically tailored to credit unions.

Topic: How to Manage the Risk of Diversifying Your Benefits Plan Investments Beyond Those

Permitted by Parts 703/704

James Buzek, CISSP, MSCE – Information Security Officer/VP, Information Assurance,

Corporate One FCU

James is responsible for the research, development, implementation, testing and reviewing of Corporate One’s overall information security in order to protect information and prevent unauthorized access.  He oversees and directly manages the protection, defense, and availability of information and information systems by ensuring confidentiality, integrity, authentication, availability and non-repudiation of corporate information and information systems through the creation and implementation of the  security program.

Topic: Cyber Security Trends & Threats

Andrea Cooper, CMFG Life Insurance Company, CUNA Mutual Group

Andrea is a director of talent for CUNA Mutual Group. In this role she is a member of the Employee   Experience and Strategy team, responsible for leading enterprise Talent Acquisition and Talent Management.

Topic: Inspire Employees and Drive Business Results with Inclusive Leadership

Brian Day, PSCU

Brian is a Solutions Consultant for PSCU, the nation’s premier payments CUSO. In his role, Brian is responsible for working with PSCU Owner credit unions to understand industry trends and identify  product solutions to help credit unions grow, compete and improve members’ financial lives. 

Topic: Digital Transformations

Dan Mahalak, President, Mahalak Consulting Co.

Dan spent most of his career at Cindrich, Mahalak & Co., a CPA firm that specialized in working with credit unions and their subsidiaries. He joined that firm in 1980 upon graduating from Eastern Michigan University, became a partner in 1988, and managing partner in 2006. In 2018 he determined that the best future for his clients and staff was to become part of a larger firm and transitioned his audit and compliance practice into that of Doeren Mayhew. He continues to work with credit unions in strategic planning, budgeting and forecasting, asset-liability management consulting, mergers and  acquisitions, regulatory consulting, human resources consulting, and a variety of other consulting projects. 

Topics: Positioning Your Credit Union for Future Consolidation & Mergers/Bank Secrecy Act Training

Jack McCall, CSP, Jack McCall and Associates

Jack is a graduate of the Tennessee School of Banking at Vanderbilt University and the Graduate School of Banking of the South at Louisiana State University. Jack has devoted much of his career to the financial service industry. In 2000, he founded Jack McCall and Associates, a professional/training firm based in Hartsville, TN.   

Topic: Bringing Out The Best In People

George Middlebrook, VP, Strategic Solutions, Sherpa Technologies

As VP, Strategic Solutions, George leverages his comprehensive knowledge of digital technologies, integration services, and managed solutions to enable strategic solutions within the Mosaic platform. He is responsible for the overall management of Sherpa products and new solutions, the implementation of Sherpa’s enterprise innovation framework and working with credit unions on the strategic management of their digital solutions. George has more than 30 years of experience in new product development, strategic planning, and marketing.

Keith Riddle, President and CEO, Sherpa Technologies  

As President and CEO, Keith brings a breadth of financial services experience spanning new product development, partnership management, consultative/direct sales, strategic planning and marketing. Keith oversees all aspects of Sherpa with a focus on the management of its enterprise innovation framework, product development and consulting with credit unions on digital transformation. Keith has more than 30 years of experience in the financial industry and possesses in-depth knowledge of digital technologies, payment processing platforms, and managed solutions offerings. 

Topic: How Innovative FinTech Firms Are Changing User Experience Expectations

KEYNOTE SPEAKER, Roger Tutterow, Ph.D.

Dr. Tutterow is Professor of Economics at Kennesaw State University where he holds the Henssler Financial Endowed Chair. In addition, he serves as Director of the Econometric Center, an applied research center housed in KSU’s Coles College of Business. His analysis of the economic, business and political environments have been featured in a variety of media including Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Business Week, Forbes, USA Today, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Arizona Republic, Florida Times-Union, Kansas City Star, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Orlando Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, Wichita Eagle and on CNN, CNBC, NBC, Bloomberg Television, NPR’s “Marketplace” and “All Things Considered,” CNN-Radio as well as by regional electronic and print media.

Topic: The US Economy & Interest Rate Forecasting

Carissa Upshir, Principal Contact Center Strategic Initiatives, PSCU

Carissa leads the strategic initiatives for PSCU’s Contact Center Services and Solutions. Her role within the Contact Center focuses on digital transformation and future-proofing operations. Since joining PSCU in 2013, Carissa has been instrumental in projects that take advantage of technology to continually to enhance the member and agent experience. Carissa is credited with launching the first attended bot in the contact center which increased agent productivity and reduced password management pain points. In her role Carissa explores new ways to integrate technology seamlessly into the member and agent experience with an emphasis on service scalability, ease of use and valuable data insights.

Topic: CNI Center Experience for the Member