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Your $595* registration fee includes access to hear from six experienced speakers and connect digitally with colleagues.

Have questions? Need help registering? Contact cues@cues.org.

The All-New, All-Different Directors Conference in 2021—Now Available Digitally!

With everything that’s going on in today’s world, CUES wants to ensure that all credit union board members have the opportunity to learn from the top-notch speakers presenting at Directors Conference. If you are unable to attend in person, register now to hear from the six headline speakers over three days, December 6-8, 2021! 

You’ll interact with fellow attendees through the conference platform, gain a deeper and broader understanding of industry trends, and walk away with enhanced competencies essential for today’s strong board leaders. Topics that we will cover: 

• Reaching Your Next Summit: 5 Vertical Lessons to Lead in the Unknown, Regardless of Your Title
• Get Big Things Done: The Power of Connectional Intelligence
• Innovation Mindset
• Challenge of Change
• And more!
   

Consider registering your entire board! You’ll benefit from learning as a group, participating in discussions together, and you’ll be on the same page. Register today!  

*Sign as many directors and committee members up as you want! 

Why Attend?

• We’ll cover vital topics tailored to credit union board members.
• Directors are able to access top tier content all from the comfort of their home or office - no traveling required! 
• Interact and network with attendees participating online or at the conference site.
• Our speakers are highly-respected experts in their fields.
   

Why You Should Attend:

Directors—Why Should You Attend?  

• You’ll delve deep into vital industry and governance topics with 10 hours of dedicated learning time. We carefully select content uniquely relevant to your role as a credit union board member.    
• You’ll leave with a deep understanding of governance best practices and key regulatory and fiduciary issues that will help keep your board—and your credit union—strong.   
• 
   

CEOs—Why Send Your Directors?  

• We carefully select content uniquely relevant to credit union board members. Your directors will delve deep into vital industry and governance topics.  
• Networking is an important part of this conference; your directors will have opportunities to form bonds with fellow board members; connections they can reach out to once they are home.     
• Directors leave understanding governance best practices and key regulatory and fiduciary issues that will help keep your board—and your credit union—strong.   

Thank You to Our Sponsors

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Sponsorship Opportunities

Putting your organization in front of the credit union movement's top directors will accelerate your sales performance. Explore all CUES' sponsorship opportunities today.

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Strengthen your contributions to your credit union as you work through an intense curriculum focusing on board performance during CUES Governance Leadership Institute.

Discover how to balance healthy debate and diversity with consensus building while learning from the renowned faculty at the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management. You'll gain a thorough understanding of key subjects, including:

• Strategy Leadership Development
• Effective Board and Management Communications
• Risk Management
• Negotiations
• Influencing Change
• Succession Planning

Why Attend?

When you attend you’ll:

• Learn alongside your international colleagues in a relaxed, collaborative environment. Most attendees hail from the United States and Canada.
• Examine key governance and leadership strategies and return to your credit union armed to lead more effectively. Your credit union will benefit directly from your in-class reflection assignment.
• Benefit from our curriculum being developed specifically for credit unions by the faculty at Joseph L. Rotman School of Management. In fact, several esteemed faculty members are there for their students even after graduation, offering another level of support.
• Earn up to 26 Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits.
• Be awarded the prestigious Certified Credit Union Director (CCD) designation after successfully completing all required elements of this program.

Sponsorship Opportunities

An ideal event to introduce your firm and develop relationships with the most ambitious and forward-thinking leaders in the movement.

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Curriculum

Credit Union Directors: Duties, Risks and Liabilities - Richard Powers

While directors roles may change depending on which sector they serve, many aspects concerning their fiduciary and legal duties and responsibilities remain the same. An examination of these duties highlights where the risks lie in the performance of their mandate.

Inside the Credit Union Boardroom – A Guide to Negotiation Strategies – Glen Whyte

Negotiations – both formal and informal - are ubiquitous in organizational life, and leaders are engaged in them non-stop. Special attention will be paid in this session to the complexities of negotiations that occur from time to time within the boardroom. Most commonly, the boardroom is fertile ground for the occurrence of groupthink, which generally refers to the tendency of groups to reach an agreement prematurely. In contrast, there are occasional times in the life of every board where there exists not too much consensus with respect to a specific issue, but rather not enough. For example, in the context of CEO succession, an organizational crisis, rapidly changing times, or perhaps mergers and acquisitions, the problem more likely is not too much consensus but rather little hope for it. If intense disagreements exist among board members with respect to key issues, the challenge becomes how to build the consensus necessary to move forward. That is the problem that we will attempt to solve for the bulk of the session. The session will be highly experiential and interactive in nature.

Governance of Credit Unions Best Practices – Ciara Wakita

The session will focus on nine ‘better’ practices that boards can use to enhance their effectiveness. Three of these will be examined in-depth: director selection, board evaluation and individual director evaluation. The important role Governance Committees can play in building better boards will also be discussed. Participants will be provided practical tools they can use with their own boards.

Inside the Credit Union Boardroom Influencing Change Strategies – John Oesch

John will first facilitate a group case activity called SMACU. This simulated team decision places you in the role of a senior decision maker. The results of your decisions will become data that John will help analyze and use in discussion. The next segment of the session will be a presentation of Robert Cialdini’s principles of persuasion (see readings).  We will close with a video case that John will use to illustrate many of these principles at work in a group decision setting (12 Angry Men video).

Critical Challenges & Opportunities for Credit Union Boards  – Miranda Flury

Research on corporate governance is plentiful – sometimes overwhelmingly so.  This session focuses in on insights that are valuable to credit union boards, and, most importantly, explores how participants can begin to apply them in the boardroom.  Topics covered will include fiduciary duties, time management, board renewal/skills and also the emergence of director compensation.

SMACU - Comprehensive Case Study - Richard Powers

This is the final exercise in the SMACU Case Study.  By this point you will be very familiar with the organization and the various members of the Executive Team and the Board of Directors.  The decisions that we will examine this afternoon center on board best practices and different communication strategies that may be employed when dealing with conflict.  The intention is to bring together the key learnings from the program in this final analysis.

In addition to a discussion of best practices, each group will be asked to present a comprehensive assessment of the current board and possible changes that they feel should be incorporated in order to maximize its effectiveness moving forward.

We are currently working to secure our speakers for the 2026 program. Please check back later.

Good Governance Protects Your CU

As a credit union leader you’re expected to exceed members’ needs, be strong community partners, and meet regulatory requirements—all while keeping your institution financially sound.

The prestigious CUES Governance Leadership Institute is an intense program that combines the faculty, facilities and resources of one of the world’s top business schools into an unparalleled educational opportunity that will prepare you and your credit union to excel at the organizational level.

Developed specifically for the credit union industry, CUES Governance Leadership Institute was designed for director and executives alike. Its robust curriculum meets your needs through powerful CU-specific case studies focused on highly effective boards, interactive presentations, and collaborative exercises. We’ve also included ample discussion time for topics attendees have specifically requested. Plus, you’ll benefit from valuable networking with your colleagues.

As a graduate of this transformational program, you’ll leave equipped with a comprehensive understanding of how you can strengthen your boardroom contributions as you learn to effectively balance healthy debate and diversity with consensus building. You’ll also have a thorough understanding of key issues, including:

Duties, Risks and Liabilities

Examine the responsibilities of directors and executives, specifically relating to these uncertain financial times. Participants will:

• Examine the role of executives and the fiduciary duties of directors
• Explore liability

Negotiating During Decision-Making

Learn a practiced approach to managing information exchanges between board members and management. Discover:

• Ways to negotiate more effectively
• How information should flow between management and the board

Influencing Change

Explore the roles senior executives and board members play in managing and influencing organizational change. You will:

• Identify causes of sub-optimal information sharing in decisions
• Recognize the need for, and describe tactics for engaging in, constructive conflict in discussions
• Employ six scientific principles of persuasion and influence

Developing Effectiveness

Take part in a collaboration game to experience behaviors that lead to positive and negative exchanges. Learn to:

• Identify processes and tools you can use to increase effectiveness
• Consider the role of evaluations, and how they can enhance team dynamics

Board and Director Self-Assessment

Discuss several approaches to evaluating board and individual director effectiveness. Develop a framework for selecting new directors and recognize the socio-political complexities characterizing boards. You will:

• Gain new insights into selecting directors
• Explore in-depth frameworks for making the selection risk /management

CUES Governance Leadership Institute attendees can include:

• Board Chairs
• Directors
• CEOs
• SVPs

The Takeaway

When choosing an executive education program, it’s important to consider what you’ll get in return.

CUES executive education offerings are developed in conjunction with world-renowned universities and represent the highest quality professional development in the credit union industry; CUES Governance Leadership Institute is no exception. Taught by the esteemed Joseph L. Rotman School of Management faculty, and covering topics from strategy to governance responsibilities, this powerful learning experience helps you become a stronger contributor to your credit union, and better understand your fiduciary responsibilities.

Plus, if you successfully complete all required elements of the program, you’ll be awarded the prestigious Certified Credit Union Director (CCD) designation.

The Impact

Attendees who complete CUES Governance Leadership Institute and a reflection assignment in class will become a Certified Credit Union Director (CCD). The CCD designation establishes a standard of education and excellence for credit union leaders. It signifies you have made an ongoing commitment to your professional development and obtained a level of expertise recognized throughout the credit union movement. Over 800 industry professionals have earned their CCD.

Register Now

Good governance protects your credit union and CUES Governance Leadership Institute provides very tailored training and real benefits for you and your organization.

Register now by visiting the page link above or contacting Teresa Brogan, Executive Education Specialist, at 800.252.2664 or 608.271.2664; or email teresab@cues.org.

Hotel

We are currently working on our travel and hotel information for the 2026 program. Please check back later.

Air Travel

There are two airports serving the Toronto area. The Toronto Pearson International Airport YYZ (recommended) and Billy Bishop YTZ (for shorter local and some East Coast flights). Most attendees will travel via the Toronto Pearson International Airport. Transportation to and from the hotel will take 45-60 minutes depending on the time of day. When booking your flights, please keep in mind that full participation is required to earn the designation. The program wraps up at 5:00 pm on the final day. If you choose to travel home that day, and not stay over, we recommend not booking flights that depart prior to 8:00 p.m.

Passport Information

Passport rules require all airline passengers landing in the United States (including returning U.S. citizens) from Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas and the Caribbean to carry a passport. Don’t forget your passport. Visit www.travel.state.gov/ for information on obtaining a U.S. passport.

Ground Transportation

CUES has negotiated a discount when you book with Enterprise and National for this meeting. You can take advantage of our discounted rates by booking online using the below links. Be sure to reference account number OSMB44A when making all reservations.
 
Enterprise Reservations | National Reservations

We also invite you to enroll in the Emerald Club loyalty program. As an Emerald Club member, you can bypass the counter and choose your own vehicle, earn free rental days, receive arrival & return alerts, receive e-receipts, and maximize benefits while still enjoying our CUES corporate discount. Click here to enroll in Emerald Club (Emerald Club benefits applicable to both Enterprise & National reservations).