The Kansas Credit Union Association is launching a new leadership program in February to prepare up-and-coming credit union professionals for senior executive positions.
In 2014, a task force made up of association board members and staff researched and developed a 72-hour curriculum called CUlead: Leadership Excellence and Development, which will include a mix of classroom work and experiential instruction, according to the KCUA. CUlead participants will have a mentor who will play an active role in their development throughout the year. The mentor is expected to provide participants with guidance, encouragement and accountability.
The task force built into the curriculum field trips to give participants hands-on experience on the similarities and differences of how an agriculture cooperative is managed compared to credit unions, the association said. They will also visit the Federal Reserve Bank in Kansas City, Kan., and credit unions across the state to gain a deeper understanding about their daily operations, opportunities and challenges.
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Classroom topics will include financial management, strategic planning, leadership, business tactics and strategies, advocacy, credit union philosophy, leadership communications, risk management, innovation, media and community relations.
"Top-notch employees are hard to find, and sometimes they are even harder to keep," Gina Evans, KCUA assistant vice president of education and councils, said. "With statistics showing that many credit union executives are nearing retirement age, it's more important than ever for credit unions to prepare for the future and develop staff to fill these top roles."
Evans said the association wants the curriculum to be a hands-on, practical learning environment so that participants will learn how to do the things that they will literally have to do as senior credit union executives.
"Each class will stand on its own and we think the classes hit all the areas that a credit union senior manager should grow and develop in," said Evans, who also serves as the CUlead coordinator.
Classes will be taught by experienced specialists from the association, CUNA Mutual Group, the Kansas Department of Credit Unions and consulting firms, according to KCUA. While there will be no exams, participants will be given an assignment or project to work on as individuals or in small teams to apply what they learned from each session.
The six-hour classes will be held every other month starting in February and ending in December. The inaugural class will include 15 participants from 13 cooperatives across the state. Twenty-two applications have been received.
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Peter Strozniak
Credit Union Times reporter covering credit union operations, fraud, M&As, leagues, business continuity, and breaking news.
