GAC is known in many circles as a credit union CEO and board members conference. This was reinforced to me this year as I met two or three board members for every credit union staffer. In recent years though, other senior management staff has attended and I’d like to think that the CUNA Councils enhanced involvement have played some part in this transition. One thing GAC is not known for is resonating particularly well with anyone that is under 30 years of age. That changed decidedly this year.
The 2010 CUNA Governmental Affairs (GAC) Conference had a new energy and a new passion all initiated by a very unique group of attendees call the Crashers. The GAC Crashers are a small group of credit union professionals under 30 who decided to “crash” the GAC and align their own cost-effective conference alongside the behemoth CU conference of the year. The idea was to use hostels as economical housing, participate in free networking events and have conversations with credit union leaders.
To their credit, CUNA decided to embrace the Crashers and granted some scholarships to GAC. Well-known leaders from various credit union organizations led the Crashers breakout sessions. I have to say that some of the topics were more interesting than the standard GAC breakouts and had me wishing I was a Crasher so I could attend!
I’m one of the “old” folks but I enthusiastically support the “crash” concept. The ingenuity, creativity and pure brashness of it all intrigued me. These young professionals are the real deal and from where I sit the future looks bright with them at the helm. Their innovative mindset and collaborative spirit speak to the credit union movement that I joined some thirty years ago. To talk with them and feel their enthusiasm is like a breath of fresh air. I loved it!
I’ve attended GAC for a few years now but this year felt decidedly different. There was a sense of excitement and as I tweeted and observed tweets during the sessions, I smiled. Social media was “in effect” at the 2010 GAC.
Although I only met a few of the Crashers from my association on Twitter, you couldn’t miss them. I was honored to be invited to the Cap City Brewery Tweetup, which I regretfully had to miss but I still followed the action through the tweets.
So “old fogies” of the CUNA GAC, what did you learn from the Crashers? Does the GAC need a youth reboot? How should we start embracing this new crop of credit union leaders who are our future and the ones in which we will pass the torch? In other words, GAC folks, how do we start melding these generations? While the demographics of the GAC are not going to change overnight, the conference needs to start evolving for the future. It is long overdue and I’m so glad that the Crashers have started the conversation and most importantly set the stage in motion for some much needed change. See you in 2011, GAC Crashers!
The 2010 CUNA Governmental Affairs (GAC) Conference had a new energy and a new passion all initiated by a very unique group of attendees call the Crashers. The GAC Crashers are a small group of credit union professionals under 30 who decided to “crash” the GAC and align their own cost-effective conference alongside the behemoth CU conference of the year. The idea was to use hostels as economical housing, participate in free networking events and have conversations with credit union leaders.
To their credit, CUNA decided to embrace the Crashers and granted some scholarships to GAC. Well-known leaders from various credit union organizations led the Crashers breakout sessions. I have to say that some of the topics were more interesting than the standard GAC breakouts and had me wishing I was a Crasher so I could attend!
I’m one of the “old” folks but I enthusiastically support the “crash” concept. The ingenuity, creativity and pure brashness of it all intrigued me. These young professionals are the real deal and from where I sit the future looks bright with them at the helm. Their innovative mindset and collaborative spirit speak to the credit union movement that I joined some thirty years ago. To talk with them and feel their enthusiasm is like a breath of fresh air. I loved it!
I’ve attended GAC for a few years now but this year felt decidedly different. There was a sense of excitement and as I tweeted and observed tweets during the sessions, I smiled. Social media was “in effect” at the 2010 GAC.
Although I only met a few of the Crashers from my association on Twitter, you couldn’t miss them. I was honored to be invited to the Cap City Brewery Tweetup, which I regretfully had to miss but I still followed the action through the tweets.
So “old fogies” of the CUNA GAC, what did you learn from the Crashers? Does the GAC need a youth reboot? How should we start embracing this new crop of credit union leaders who are our future and the ones in which we will pass the torch? In other words, GAC folks, how do we start melding these generations? While the demographics of the GAC are not going to change overnight, the conference needs to start evolving for the future. It is long overdue and I’m so glad that the Crashers have started the conversation and most importantly set the stage in motion for some much needed change. See you in 2011, GAC Crashers!
Note: For those of you unfamiliar with the credit union movement, CUNA is the Credit Union National Association.
2 comments:
It was great to finally meet you! My key takeaway from GAC was the sense that something is changing. Crash is a piece of that, to be sure, but only a piece. Credit union professionals seem to realize that our model must be reexamined. Our tactics must be reevaluated. Collaboration must be more than a talking point. I got the sense that change is happening, and I look forward to the results.
Matt,
It was a pleasure to meet you at GAC. Thanks so much for your insightful comments. This is a pivotal time for our movement....very much like the climate in which it was born. Collaboration is the new cooperative spirit and we must seize the opportunity. Like you, I believe that change is definitely in the air and I am eagerly looking forward to being a part of it. I love credit unions!
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