By: Tom Pierce, Chief Marketing Officer, PSCU

PSCU was pleased to host Member Forum 2023 on April 3-5 in Tampa, Fla. in our “backyard” – PSCU’s headquarters is just across the bay in St. Petersburg.

Our event continues getting bigger and better, with credit union attendance growing 20% since last year’s record event in Las Vegas. Our collaborative event brought together more than 1,200 attendees from PSCU Owner credit unions and future Owners, as well as industry partners and members of the media. The dynamic three-day event, held at the JW Marriott in downtown Tampa, delivered actionable insights, strategies and thought leadership to help credit unions grow, innovate and increase member engagement in the constantly evolving, digital-focused payments landscape – along with some standout keynote speakers and great live entertainment.

This year’s event theme of “Inspire What’s Next” represented a transformative time for our cooperative, our industry and our country. Our PSCU team is very thankful to our attendees, sponsors and speakers for their enthusiastic participation and valuable time in contributing to the event’s success.

Here are some of the key highlights and takeaways from this year’s Member Forum.

Continuing to Inspire What’s Next

PSCU President and CEO Chuck Fagan kicked off Member Forum 2023 with an update on PSCU’s business, ongoing transformation and what’s next for PSCU and our Owner credit unions, as well as a look ahead at the trends impacting our industry. Chuck provided a brief update on the current state of our cooperative. “In fiscal year 2022, PSCU’s financial performance remained strong, providing us with a solid foundation for continued growth and transformation, as well as the ability to execute on our strategic goals,” he shared.

PSCU has grown by 70% over the last four years. Our digital-first strategic plan is driving outstanding results, but we remain focused on the future. Chuck said, “Over the next three to five years, we envision PSCU becoming a more agile and efficient cooperative, as we further position the organization to be an end-to-end integrated fintech solution provider.”

Chuck shared updates on various PSCU initiatives, including PSCU’s partnership with Amount, which will offer a seamless, fully integrated digital account opening solution with real-time lending approvals and immediate access to card credentials via digital banking and mobile wallets. Juniper Payments, acquired by PSCU in 2022, enables our credit unions to participate in and expand faster and real-time payments capabilities.

PSCU continues to work with our best-in-class, cloud-native digital banking company, Lumin Digital, to discover future growth opportunities in the digital banking space, including successful integration for digital issuance capabilities. Linked Analysis, PSCU’s proprietary solution, remains far ahead of our competition in combatting fraud, thanks to employing a data lake approach, using various technologies and best practices to block fraud at the point of sale, in the contact center, online and across the digital platforms that consumers use daily. And with delinquencies on the rise, TriVerity and The Loan Service Center, PSCU’s third-party and first-party collection companies, are deploying digital collection tools and self-service options, including SMS and email, as well as real-time tracking of collections performance and status.

To help the cooperative stay leading-edge, PSCU has established a new Emerging Services team dedicated to identifying innovative ways to expand our industry-leading portfolio and product solutions to drive high value and differentiation. PSCU also launched an internal initiative called “Transforming Together” to focus on delivering operational excellence across the organization, optimizing our value proposition and operating model, investing in the next horizon of growth to further support our credit unions and setting up the appropriate infrastructure to drive our enhanced vision.

These key initiatives will continue to be a priority as PSCU helps credit unions deliver personalized, connected experiences – which will lead to stronger relationships between our Owner credit unions and the members they serve.

Inspiring Keynotes from Star-Studded Speakers

Following Chuck’s address, he participated in “A Conversation with Visa” discussion with Kim Lawrence, Visa’s President, North America. They discussed the current economic uncertainty, as well as the recent bank closures and how this is an opportunity for credit unions to reinforce their trustworthiness and the safety and security of their members’ deposits. They also discussed regulation and interchange rates. Kim shared that, “It is critical for credit unions to stay coordinated and work together in our fight to prevent onerous over-regulation in this space, including with Regulation II.” Chuck added that credit unions need to be prepared for an uptick in fraud after the implementation of Regulation II on July 1, 2023.

Then, Molly Fletcher, pioneering sports agent and CEO of Game Change Performance Group, spoke about cultivating a champion mindset. She shared the importance of being open to new opportunities and being ready to act upon them.

On day two, we hosted our first ever Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) keynote panel discussion. Moderated by Lynn Heckler, EVP and Chief Talent Officer at PSCU, participants included Major Jane Castor, the City of Tampa’s 59^th Mayor and Tampa’s first female Chief of Police; Darcie Glazer Kassewitz, owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and president of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation and the Glazer Vision Foundation; and Thaddeus Bullard, also known as WWE Superstar Titus O’Neil. The discussion ranged from how the City of Tampa strives to be intentional in its inclusivity, to the importance of sporting programs to build confidence for girls, to how a simple statement to a child can make a difference in the trajectory of their life.

Next, Lital Marom, innovation strategist, visionary and serial entrepreneur, gave an insightful presentation exploring how tech brands innovate and transform and encouraged credit unions to do the same by thinking exponentially. Transformative questions that credit unions should consider in this framework of thinking include: “In what other markets can we play?” “How can I empower others to create value?” and “How can I improve my members’ lives?”

Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Derek Jeter closed out our keynote speakers. He shared leadership lessons from on and off the field, spanning from his career playing for the New York Yankees to starting media company The Players’ Tribune and the important charity work that his Turn 2 Foundation does to promote academic excellence, leadership development, positive behavior, healthy choices and social change for young people. Derek reminded us of the importance of “getting to know the people you are leading. You don’t just walk into the room and say follow me.” Everyone on your staff is part of the credit union team — and that success comes from working together to achieve a higher level.

Valuable Insights from All-Female Panel of Credit Union Executives

In our Credit Union Executive Panel, moderated by Mark Sievewright, founder of Sievewright & Associates, credit union industry executives delivered firsthand insights during a panel focused on the latest industry trends. Our panelists included: Christine Blake, President and CEO of Cardinal Credit Union; Kelly Botti, President and CEO of TruMark Financial Credit Union; and Tansley Stearns, president and ceo of Community Financial Credit Union. The powerhouse panel of female executives shared their perspective and experience on the competitive landscape, the digital transformation of the industry, financial wellness and the future of payments.

Action-Packed Content for All

Member Forum also featured 20 breakout sessions providing insights from industry experts, Owner credit unions and PSCU leaders on pertinent topics including digital lending, security and fraud mitigation, the metaverse, faster and real-time payments, data-driven transformation of the digital experience, DEI at the intersection of the member and employee experience and more.

In our Solution Showcase, attendees connected to a world of new possibilities through PSCU’s innovative solutions and gained strategic insights from our trusted advisors. They experienced some of PSCU’s industry-leading solutions and services, ranging from QuickAssist, Digital Card Management, Loyalty, Digital Banking, Linked Analysis, Member Insight and Business Card Management, as well as solutions coming soon like Installment Payments and LocationVue. Our “Inspire What’s Next” Theater featured quick-hit presentations on hot topics such as the metaverse, digital lending and the power of data.

Our rocking closing party was hosted by country music’s feel-good duo LoCash. The duo, consisting of vocalists Chris Lucas and Preston Brust, performed some of their greatest hits and covered a few favorite tunes as we sang and danced the night away.

Save the Date

We can’t wait to come together in person again for PSCU Member Forum 2024, scheduled for the week of April 8 in San Antonio, Texas. We invite you to save the date and stay tuned for more information. We look forward to seeing you there!

In his role as Chief Marketing Officer, Tom Pierce is responsible for leading and executing PSCU’s marketing and communications strategy, including brand development and sentiment, public relations, go-to-market strategy, market research and events. Pierce has successfully led marketing teams for more than 30 years, with the latter half of his career spent in the payments industry. Prior to joining PSCU, Pierce served as Chief Marketing Officer for Cardtronics, the largest global ATM operator, and held senior marketing roles at FIS, Metavante and Wausau Financial Systems.

Highlights from PSCU Member Forum 2023

Recommended Next