CUNA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. (Source: CUNA)
CUNA expanded its executive leadership team on Friday by announcing Chief Strategic Communications Officer, Deshundra Jefferson to the new role.
According to CUNA, Jefferson previously worked as Traveling Press Secretary for former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick during his 2020 presidential campaign.
Jefferson will be responsible for developing and implementing strategies that effectively communicate the credit union difference to policymakers, the media, and consumers, according to CUNA.
"Deshundra's skillset spans across many critical areas of communications that we plan to leverage in taking a holistic approach to our advocacy and credit union engagement," CUNA Chief Engagement Officer Greg Michlig said. "We are pleased to have such an ambitious and driven strategist join our leadership team. I have no doubts that she will bring new and innovative contributions to the people-helping-people movement."
Deshundra Jefferson "Credit unions are the best kept secret in the financial services sector," Jefferson in a prepared statement. "I'm excited to work with CUNA to share that secret to a wider audience and to advocate for the credit union movement."
Prior to working with Gov. Patrick, Jefferson served as a Principal at The Raben Group, a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying, consulting, and public affairs firm. According to CUNA, she has 20 years of experience in strategic communications, public affairs and journalism.
Jefferson begins her new position in Washington, D.C. on Monday.
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Michael Ogden
Editor-in-Chief at CU Times. To connect, email at [email protected]. As Editor-in-Chief of CU Times since 2016, Michael Ogden has led the editorial team in all aspects of content strategy and execution, including the creation of the publication’s exclusive and proprietary research database of the credit union industry’s economic landscape. Under Michael’s leadership, CU Times has successfully shifted to an all-digital editorial product with new focuses on the payments, fraud, lending and regulatory beats. Most recently, he introduced a data-focused editorial product for subscribers that breaks down credit union issues into hard data, allowing for a deeper and more factual narrative for readers. In 2024, he launched the "Shared Accounts With CU Times" podcast, which offers a fresh, inside-the-newsroom perspective through interviews with leaders from the credit union industry and the regulatory world. He dives into pressing credit union issues, while revealing the personalities working behind-the-scenes to push the credit union world forward. His background includes years as a radio and TV anchor/reporter and a public relations and digital/social media manager, where he covered the food and music industries, as well as cooperatives and credit unions. Over the years, he has launched numerous exclusive video and podcast series, including a successful series of interactive backstage interviews with musicians at music festivals, showcasing his social media and live streaming production skills.
