The Remarkable Credit Union

In this episode of The Remarkable Credit Union Podcast, I sit down with Randy Ralston, a seasoned entrepreneur and blockchain expert, to explore how credit unions can effectively engage with cryptocurrency in a values-aligned manner. We dive into the evolving landscape of digital assets, discussing the risks of inaction for credit unions, including potential deposit losses and the need to attract younger members. Randy shares insights on the importance of integrating digital assets into credit union operations to maintain relevance and revenue streams. From digital vaulting to leveraging crypto for liquidity, we unpack actionable strategies that can help credit unions navigate this complex yet promising frontier. Join us for a compelling conversation that challenges traditional banking paradigms and highlights the future of finance.

For younger generations, the notion of depositing a check at a branch is as antiquated as the notion of booking a flight at a travel agency. The financial landscape has evolved dramatically over the last few decades, and credit unions are working hard to keep pace. Consolidation and growth in the credit union movement have helped some credit unions stay competitive, but at what cost? Do credit unions that are focused on aggressive growth risk losing sight of their purpose? Are they able to effectively serve their communities? The answers to these questions are not definitive; a lot depends on the approach. We sat down with Derrick Aguilar, a 20-year veteran of the credit union movement and Chief Experience Officer at PenAir Credit Union (a PixelSpoke client), to talk about how credit unions have evolved over the last decades, and how they've stayed the same. We also addressed this month's BIG question: How can credit unions grow while never losing sight of their member experience, community roots, and commitment to financial health?

The end of another year is upon us. Over the course of 2025, we’ve had the opportunity to speak to a wide range of leaders in the credit union movement, delve deep into trending topics, and stay close to industry news. In our final episode of the year, our co-host Katie Stone, also CEO and Co-Owner at PixelSpoke, takes the guest seat, along with PixelSpoke President and Co-Owner Dave Drouin. Together, they reflect on this month’s BIG question: When it comes to credit union marketing and leadership, what are some of the dominant themes that have emerged over the past year, and what should we be keeping top of mind for 2026?

Perhaps you're getting a little sick of all the AI hype. Perhaps you're totally into all the AI hype. Perhaps you're intrigued, but you're not sure how to leverage AI most effectively. Perhaps you're a skeptic who wishes we could turn back the clock. No matter how you feel about AI, the truth is, it's here to stay. So how can credit unions best leverage it without sacrificing the "people helping people" philosophy that defines the movement? With the technology still being so new, the unknowns can feel scary. But there are some early adopters with nuggets of wisdom and learned experience that may be able to help the rest of us. We sat down with one of these early adopters, Ken Brossman, Chief Lending Officer at Marine Credit Union, to talk about the highs and lows of Marine's five-year AI lending journey. We also addressed this month's BIG question: Where is the greatest opportunity to deploy AI in credit union lending, and where is the greatest risk?

We think of finance as a science, not an art. But the truth is, when it comes to our personal finances, money is about so much more than numbers. World-renowned financial wellness expert Manisha Thakor joins us to talk about how our emotions affect our financial decisions, what we can learn about behavior change from Weight Watchers, and what opportunities she sees for credit unions to leverage our emotional connection to money to build more authentic relationships with their members. She also addresses this month's BIG question: How can we use our emotional connection to money to empower credit unions to create happy members, financial resilience, and ethical business growth?

According to a survey conducted by Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU), Gen Z doesn't know all that much about credit unions. Perhaps this doesn't come as a surprise, but it's most definitely an issue that the credit union movement must be actively working to address. DCU is setting an example for how to recruit and engage Gen Z members in a way that isn't, as a Gen Z'er might put it, cringe. We sat down with Sue Burton, SVP of Experience for DCU, to talk about their efforts to date and to address this month's BIG question: Why do so few Gen Z’ers know about credit unions, and how can credit union marketers authentically reach and connect with this rising generation?

Credit unions have reams of data at their fingertips. They can measure member satisfaction, website traffic, loan and account conversions, market trends, and financial performance. But the one metric credit unions aren’t generally measuring just might be the most important one: member financial health. Andy Bandyopadhyay, Founder and CEO of Attune, would like to change that. Hospitals measure patient outcomes; why don’t credit unions measure financial outcomes? If financial wellness isn’t improving, are credit unions really doing their job? These are just a few of the questions that Andy addresses in this month’s episode of The Remarkable Credit Union podcast, along with our BIG question: How can credit unions lead with financial wellness over products, and what’s in it for them?

In this special episode of The Remarkable Credit Union podcast, we explore the surprising parallels between beloved folk-rock band, The Avett Brothers, and effective strategies for credit union marketing. When our host, Katie Stone, discovered that she isn't the only superfan of The Avett Brothers in the credit union movement, she invited Call Federal Credit Union's Director of Marketing & Financial Education, Greta Kidd, and Alternatives Federal Credit Union's Director of Education & Training, Brendan Wilbur, to nerd out with her, and to address this month's BIG question: What can The Avett Brothers teach us about credit union marketing? Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum from "Never heard of The Avett Brothers" to "I'm completely obsessed," you'll come away with valuable insights about why some folk-rock bands, and some credit unions, rise above the rest.

In the midst of what has already been a tumultuous year, the credit union movement was rattled in April by the unexpected firings of NCUA Board Chairs, Todd Harper and Tanya Otsuka. There has been a lot of speculation about what this could mean for the future of credit unions and the broader financial services industry. Elizabeth Eurgubian, a current Partner at Atlas Advocacy and the former NCUA Director of External Affairs and Communications and Policy Adviser, joins us on this month’s episode of The Remarkable Credit Union podcast to offer both perspective and levity. We discuss some of the NCUA initiatives embarked upon during her tenure, the continued importance of bipartisanship, and of course, this month’s BIG question: What are the consequences, either intentional or unintentional, of the recent NCUA shake-up, and how can credit unions mobilize to protect the future of the movement?

To say there is uncertainty in the credit union movement right now is an understatement. The NCUA shake-up has left many feeling… well, a bit shaken up. And though tax exemption and funding for CDFIs (Community Development Financial Institutions) are protected for now, it’s hard to say when “for now” might abruptly end. When compared to concerns about the NCUA and credit union tax status, there has not been as much outcry over the precarious future of the CDFI fund. Considering that only about 12% of credit unions are CDFIs, this makes sense, but the loss of funding could have significant ripple effects across the movement as a whole. In this episode, we talk to Armand Parvazi, Strategic Adviser at CUCollaborate and former Chief Administrative & Development Officer at New Orleans Firemen’s Federal Credit Union, to get his take on this month’s BIG question: Why does the CDFI fund matter and how can we engage the credit union movement in protecting it?

These days, most people automatically think of technology when they think of innovation, but innovation doesn’t require fancy digital bells and whistles. In fact, sometimes the most impactful innovations aren’t about dramatic invention, but rather incremental iteration. Philanthropy is a field that’s rife with opportunities for iteration, and Gloria Dixon, BECU’s Director of Philanthropy and the Executive Director of the BECU Foundation, isn’t afraid to challenge the status quo. As one of the top five largest credit unions in the United States, Washington-based BECU is known for its massive breadth, but what’s remarkable about the credit union’s community development work is that its impact runs both wide and deep. In this month’s episode, we talk to Gloria about how she’s steering the credit union’s philanthropic efforts and iterating as she goes. We also address our BIG question: How can credit unions be more involved in meaningful systems change, particularly when it comes to economic inequality?

Between natural disasters, economic volatility, and political chaos, there is a lot to respond to these days. It’s important for credit unions to create contingency plans and prepare for crisis. It’s equally important to escape the reactivity trap by proactively creating opportunities for joy and connection. That’s precisely what Abilene Teachers Federal Credit Union has done with 325 Day, an event with a name that refers both to its date and the credit union’s local area code. The idea is to celebrate local businesses, gather community members, and most importantly, have fun! This month, we’re joined by Abilene Teacher FCU’s Community Development Officer, Elizabeth Gray, and Marketing Director, Kathy Mayer, to talk about the evolution of the event and its growing impact. We also address this month’s BIG question: During an era when so much is moving online, why is a sense of place still important and how does your credit union benefit by bringing people together in real life?

The listeners of this podcast are likely to know that credit unions are financial cooperatives — an identity that some credit unions lean into and others don't talk about much. Amongst the general U.S. population, our understanding of cooperatives is limited, at best. Most people are ill-equipped to distinguish between, say, a consumer co-op, like a credit union, and a worker co-op, like PixelSpoke! We'd like to change that, and we think that credit unions can play a crucial role, not only in expanding our general understanding of what co-ops are and why they matter, but also in supporting the broader cooperative ecosystem. We're excited to be joined by two guests who have made it their life's work to expand access to ownership through the cooperative business model. Frank Cetera is the Business Transfers Program Director for the Democracy at Work Institute, which helps communities overcome accelerating economic and social crises through worker ownership, and also a Board Member of local CDFI, Syracuse Cooperative Federal Credit Union. Stacey Smith is SVP and Head of Programs at Project Equity, which helps raise awareness of broad based employee ownership and supports businesses transitioning to employee ownership. Frank and Stacey help us tackle this month's BIG Question: How can credit unions more broadly support a cooperative economy, and what specific needs can they address for co-ops in their communities?

What is a micro-interaction, and why should credit unions care? Fintech growth and business transformation strategist Samantha Paxson joins us on The Remarkable Credit Union podcast to discuss how credit unions could benefit from focusing less on big loans and focusing more on daily financial activities. We talk about how frequently used financial tools and services, like debit cards and P2P payments, not only help keep your credit union top of mind for members but also help keep member financial wellness front and center for your credit union. We also unpack this month’s BIG question: When it comes to sustainable growth, what underutilized, high-impact strategies should credit unions be pursuing in 2025?

Many of us have been trained to look outward when it comes to growing companies, whether that means looking to new target markets, potential investors, or evolving trends. But according to Ronaldo Hardy, President & CEO of The National Association of Credit Union Service Organizations (NACUSO), we are missing a crucial step. In episode 106 of The Remarkable Credit Union, Ronaldo talks about why we actually need to start by looking inward as he tackles this month's BIG question: How can credit unions shape their brands from the inside out, starting with their people, culture, and impact?

In a heavily regulated industry like financial services, innovation can seem daunting. There are so many regulatory hoops to contend with, not to mention a fierce aversion to risk. But as Jerome Emanuel, Chief Lending Officer at Alternatives Federal Credit Union has discovered, if you focus on solving a proven problem and finding ways to say yes, the doors that end up opening just might surprise you. Jerome joins us for this month's episode of The Remarkable Credit Union podcast to discuss Alternative FCU's game-changing FAIR Mortgage product, including what inspired it, how they got it off the ground, and what the results have been to date. He also addresses this month's BIG question: How can a financial product address systemic inequality, and what risks are entailed in changing the rules of the “game?”

In this age of multibillion-dollar credit unions, it can be easy to forget that most started with a small group of people looking to pool their resources. Well, Jessica Gordon Nembhard is here to remind us. Professor of Community Justice & Social Economic Development in Africana Studies at John Jay College, CUNY and author of Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice, she believes that wonderful things can happen when communities come together for mutual aid. Among other things, we talk about the proliferation of Black cooperative responses during Covid, the importance of credit unions as community assets, opportunities for credit unions to play a more central role in supporting cooperative development and ecosystem building, and the challenges currently facing Black-owned credit unions, including potential strategies to better support these vital community institutions. We also address this month’s BIG Question: What role do Black cooperatives currently play in the ongoing fight for economic, racial, and social justice, and what potential is not being realized?

Demand for clean energy products is on the rise, and not just from well-to-do Tesla owners. There is also widespread interest and demonstrated need in lower-income and disadvantaged communities. But how can credit unions meet that need? Enter the Clean Communities Investment Accelerator program (CCIA), which is currently offering funding to credit unions and other community lenders to deliver green products, with a focus on the underserved. We’re joined by two leaders in the credit union movement, Cathie Mahon, President and CEO of Inclusiv, and Blake Jones, a founding board member of Clean Energy Credit Union. Cathie and Blake share how credit unions can leverage new government funding opportunities and why they are so well positioned to deploy clean energy solutions in their communities. They also address this month’s BIG question: Why should credit unions care about clean energy, and what do they stand to gain from helping low-income and disadvantaged communities deploy clean energy projects?

We all know that products are a credit union’s bread and butter, so to speak. But a “product-first” mentality can result in more transactional relationships with your members, not to mention a product mix that may not fully meet their needs. This month, we talked to Alicia Portada, Director of Communications and Community Engagement at Lower East Side People’s Credit Union, about how they focus on following the need, keeping boots on the ground, and keeping more vulnerable communities front and center when it comes to their expansion strategy. We also tackled this month’s BIG question: What if credit union marketing efforts were less product-focused and more partnership-focused? What would that look like in practice, and how could this approach help realize The Credit Union Difference?

As AI has wriggled its way into more nooks and crannies of our everyday lives, we’ve been hearing quite a bit of chatter about technology versus humanity. We’re not here today to speculate about possible dystopian futures, but we are here to talk about why it’s so important for even the most technologically advanced credit unions to keep the focus on their people. Chylon Pappas, VP of Corporate & Government Engagement at First Tech Credit Union, joins us to share how First Tech does just that. She helps us unpack this month’s BIG question: What does a people-first focus look like in practice, and what are the key things more credit unions should be doing to better serve their employees, members, and broader communities?