Last week, 220 Georgia credit union leaders gathered in Savannah to go “All In” during the Georgia Credit Union Affiliates’ 2018 Annual Convention.

“The convention theme was ‘All In,’ and our credit unions strive to be all in for their members every day,” said Terry Hardy, Chair of the Georgia Credit Union League Board of Directors. “It reminded us all of what makes our industry unique and the impact we can all have in the lives of our member-owners. I believe attendees left with a renewed commitment to and passion for the credit union mission.”

From May 16 until May 19, attendees heard 13 speakers from inside and outside the industry share their expertise to inspire, energize and educate. The event opened with renowned speaker Gian Paul Gonzalez of the Hope & Future Foundation followed by Dr. Melenie Lankau of Chick-fil-A, Inc., talking about creating an “All In” culture.

Howard Brodsky, entrepreneur, author, co-founder, chairman and co-CEO of CCA Global Partner, explained why co-op leaders must embrace that culture while Google Senior Solution Architect Loren Hudziak talked about how credit unions could use Google’s products and thought processes to bring that culture into the future.

“You guys (credit unions) have a great advantage because you serve the local community better than anybody I know,” Hudziak said.

When convention attendees weren’t learning from speakers, they were networking with each other and browsing booths by vendors specializing in enhancing different aspects of the credit union experience. 

The Georgia Credit Union League’s board holds its annual meeting during the convention. Roy Bibb, CEO of MidSouth Community Federal Credit Union, was elected to serve as District 2 director, replacing Stacey Tallent of Health Center Credit Union, who wrapped up a 12-year term-limited stint on the board.

Robert Clampett, president and CEO of Core Credit Union, was elected to serve as a District 3 director, replacing the other term-limited director Barry Heape, DOCO Credit Union president and CEO.

Family First Credit Union President and CEO Stephen Smith was re-elected as the director from District 1 and Associated Credit Union CFO Tim Bridges was again named Director At-Large.

After three days of learning, networking and collaborating, event attendees left the Georgia Credit Union Affiliates’ 2018 Annual Convention and returned to their credit unions with a reinvigorated passion for member service.

“The league staff spends all year working on creating a premier event for Georgia’s credit union leaders, and you can tell,” Hardy said. “Now, we’re ready to get home to serve our members and communities, recharged and with a renewed sense of purpose. We are Georgia’s credit unions – and we are ‘All In.’”