Dan Berger is on the road again.
Berger, the president and CEO of the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions, has returned to a regular schedule of visiting credit unions across the country as social distancing restrictions have lessened, the economy has reopened and vaccines have become widely available, the trade group announced Tuesday.
Berger had been meeting virtually with members in the last few months. Like many employees at NAFCU, he is fully vaccinated and decided to resume face-to-face meetings.
“At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, NAFCU quickly pivoted its methods of advocacy, compliance assistance, and educational opportunities to ensure no lapse in quality or support was felt by members. NAFCU's mission remained the same: providing extreme member service,” the group said in a statement.
And a return to in-person events is not far behind.
NAFCU canceled its largest event — its annual conference — that was scheduled for July, but held an in-person option for its CEOs and Senior Executives Conference in May.
“Many of our members have told us that they are ready to get back out on the road, while some will still lean on virtual training and conferences through the rest of 2021. We answer to them, so we’re committed to offering the best in-person and virtual education and training opportunities possible throughout 2021, while ensuring the health and safety of all those involved,” said Anthony Demangone, executive vice president and chief operating officerat NAFCU.
The move to bring back conferences comes more than a year after most industry events moved online as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Demangone said the group has seen strong support for both its virtual and in-person conferences so far, and it has a host of hybrid events that credit union attendees will be able to choose from that fit their health and comfort levels for the remainder of the year.
On the other side of Washington, Credit Union National Association President and CEO Jim Nussle resumed face-to-face credit union meetings in May. Nussle has met with several credit unions and leagues, including the Wisconsin Credit Union League, Patent and Trademark Federal Credit Union and Pentagon Federal Credit Union.
“We have closely followed and adhered to CDC guidelines since the start of the pandemic,” he said. “When social distancing restrictions began to lift, I was eager to get back on the road and interact with our members. Quite frankly, I’m Zoomed out. I value the relationships we have built over the years and was pleased to know that our members also shared the desire to meet in person.”
Todd Spiczenski, CUNA’s chief products and services officer, said the group will be reintroducing several in-person events in the fourth quarter of 2021. The programs include CUNA’s ERM Certification School, CUNA’s Lending Council Forum, CUNA’s Supervisory and Audit Committee Conference and CUNA’s Board Roundtable.
All four events will be held in Las Vegas. CUNA said it will be releasing more detailed event and registration information in the coming weeks.
Some state-level credit union trade groups have already resumed in-person conferences. For instance, the CrossState Credit Union Association, which serves 519 credit unions across New Jersey and Pennsylvania, held its annual convention in person last month in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
And the Northwest Credit Union Association recently announced that its annual convention, MAXX, will be held in person this year in Boise, Idaho, from Oct. 5-7. The group represents credit unions in Idaho, Washington and Oregon.
