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Iowa Sister Society Women's Summit Recap

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On Thursday, November 19, 2020, credit union peers across the state of Iowa gathered for the third annual Iowa Sister Society Summit. Women and men from over 20 credit unions or credit union-related organizations joined forces for a day of networking, inspiration, and advancement of our industry.

We kicked off the day with opening remarks from Iowa Sister Society leaders Stefanie Rupert, President and CEO of Collins Community Credit Union, and Mai-Linh Hoang, Vice President Marketing of Collins Community Credit Union. GWLN Ambassador Zach Christensen also provided an update on GWLN progress and the vision for the future as the network continues to grow.  

The summit’s keynote speaker was Stacie VanDenBerghe, CEO of CU Innovate Corp., who is an engaging credit union consultant with expertise focused on increasing credit union growth and innovation strategies. Stacie shared her personal journey to leadership and the top lessons she’s learned along the way. Her discussion hit on the importance of women “running their own race”, by focusing on what they’ve got (not what they don’t), on the future and not the past, and keeping their eyes on the prize.

We also held a Guest Panel Q&A, with speakers Monica Belz, President and CEO of Kaua‘i Government Employees FCU, Lisa Meadows, Leadership, Career, and Business Coach, and Erin Wolf, Managing Partner of Suite Track. The panel session was moderated by Jaimie Miller, Executive Director of the Iowa Credit Union Foundation.

The panel shared a dynamic conversation with the group on a variety of topics, including common misconceptions about women and how men and women can work together to overcome them, advice for those stepping into leadership roles for the first time, and tips to remaining agile and focused through the rapid elements of change we’ve experienced in 2020.

Although moving events to a virtual setting brings a new set of challenges, the summit turned out to be a wonderful break for our sister society members to connect, share their experiences and wisdom, and find inspiration from one another to carry with them back to their credit unions. For further information, please contact Mai-Linh Hoang at mhoang@collinscu.org.


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