CU Spotlight
Shining a light on the credit unions, partners and nonprofits powering the movement.
Episodes
41 episodes
2026-33 Deeds Over Words: Eleni Giakoumopoulous on Advancing Women in Leadership
At the conclusion of the Global Women's Leadership Network luncheon at the conclusion of the Governmental Affairs Conference, Eleni Giakoumopoulous joins Jonathan Taylor (JT) for a candid conversation about what it truly takes to close th...
2026-43 Vermont Launches Global Women's Leadership Network Sister Society
Carrie Allen (President/CEO, Association of Vermont Credit Unions) joins Shirley Senn at the Killington Grand Resort to launch a new Global Women's Leadership Network Sister Society for Vermont, in partnership with Connecticut's Credit Unions a...
2026-42 HeForShe in Action: Bruce Adams on Building Allyship
Shirley (CU Spotlight) interviews Bruce Adams, President/CEO of the Credit Union League of Connecticut, at the inaugural Global Women's Leadership Network Sister Society of New England kickoff luncheon in Killington, Vermont.Key Tak...
2026-41 Alloya Corporate's QCash: 60-Second Loans, No Payday Trap
In this CU Spotlight episode from Enlighten 2026, hosts JT and Shirley sit down with Shannon Heames and Annette from Aloya Corporate to unpack QCash — a fintech solution born inside the credit union movement and acquired (not lost) by a corpora...
2026-40 Data Isn't Destiny: Fixing Vermont's Housing & Talent Crisis
Vermont faces an aging population and a housing shortage—but the data shows opportunity, not doom. In this CU Spotlight episode, Kevin Chu (Vermont Futures Project) and Maura Collins (Vermont Housing Finance Agency) break down what's really dri...
2026-39 Culture Wins: How 802 Credit Union Beats Fintechs Through Community
Description:At Enlighten 2026 in Killington, Vermont, CU Spotlight sits down with Kate Boudreau (VP of Operations) and Jamie Richardson (VP of Marketing, Communications & Culture) from 802 Credit Union — the loudest, most ener...
2026-38 Cooper-tition: How Vermont Credit Unions Are Winning the State House Fight
At Enlighten 2026 in Killington, VT, CU Spotlight sits down with Carrie Allen (Association of Vermont Credit Unions) and Adam Necrason (Necrason Group) to unpack a fresh legislative win for the credit union movement — from blocking new taxes an...
2026-37 Wearing the Risk Hat: How a "Crasher" Became a Credit Union Rising Star
In this episode of CU Spotlight, recorded live at the Enlighten Conference 2026 in Killington, Vermont, hosts Jonathan Taylor and Shirley Senn sit down with Heather Canty, Risk Management Analyst at North Country Federal Credit Union. Heather s...
2026-36: Beyond the Bottom Line: Fraud, Trust and the Future of CUs.
In this episode of CU Spotlight, host Jonathan Taylor sits down with Christine Messer, EVP/CFO of Heritage Family Credit Union, live at Enlighten 2026 (Association of Vermont Credit Unions). They dig into the rising sophistication of fraud, how...
2026-35 A League of Their Own
In this CU Spotlight episode, recorded at en.light.en 2026 in Killington, Vermont, hosts JT and Shirley Senn sit down with Bruce Adams (President/CEO, Connecticut's Credit Unions) and Melissa Robinson (Connecticut's Credit Unions) to explore ho...
TT-1: Beyond Transactions,The Tempathy Movement
A podcast doesn’t start with perfect gear or a polished script, it starts with a moment where someone says, “We should do something,” and actually follows through. We trace how CU Spotlight comes to life through real credit union relationships,...
2026-34 Barb Lohman Shares The Leadership Lessons That Shaped Her Career
Recorded live at the 2026 Vermont Association of Credit Unions Enlighten Conference at Killington Resort, CU Spotlight hosts JT and Phil sit down with Barb Lowman, CEO at CUNA Strategic Services (CSS). Fresh off delivering the keyn...
2026-4: Data Doesn't Lie- You're Just Not Looking
SummaryAt Bits & Bytes GAC 2026, JT sits down with data strategist Anne Legg of Thrive to challenge one of the biggest myths in credit unions: that data problems are about access or technology. Instead, Anne argues the real is...
2026-32 Girls Can Do Hard Things": Celebrating Women's Leadership in the Credit Union Movement
At the Global Women's Leadership Network luncheon during America's Credit Unions GAC, CU Spotlight's Shirley Senn sits down with Bonita Harp of the Healthcare Credit Union Association and Vicki Brynolf of Team One Credit Union. With nearly 40 y...
2026-31 It's Our Responsibility" — Creighton Blackwell on Supporting Women in Leadership
At the GAC 2026 Global Women's Leadership Network luncheon, Creighton Blackwell of Coastal Credit Union shares why championing women in leadership isn't optional — it's a duty. From recognizing everyday impact to building the next generation of...
2026-30 The Impact of Global Women's Leadership Network: A Conversation with Emma Hayes
Emma Hayes shares what the Global Women's Leadership Network (GWLN) means to her — community, representation, and a worldwide movement that connects women across borders to uplift their communities and champion financial inclusion. ...
2026-29 Building Each Other Up: Leigh Brady on the Power of the Global Women's Leadership Network
SECU President & CEO Leigh Brady joins CU Spotlight's Shirley Senn at the 2026 GAC Global Women's Leadership Network luncheon to share why this community matters. From spotlighting female leaders to giving women that "little nudge" of confi...
2026-28 Paying It Forward: Why the Global Women's Leadership Network Matters
LeeAnn Case of St. Cloud talks about what the Global Women's Leadership Network means to women in the credit union movement. With 30 years in the industry, LeeAnn reflects on the mentors who lifted her up — and her intentional commitment ...
2026-27 Credit Unions & Financial Inclusion: Getting Back to the Origin Story
At the 2026 GAC Conference in Washington, D.C., Shirley Senn (CU Spotlight) interviews credit union veteran Denise Wymore at the Inclusiv CDFI Roundtable. They explore the surge in new credit union charters, the power of the cooperative model i...
2026-26 Meeting People Where They Are: Financial Inclusion at New Orleans Firemen's FCU
In this candid conversation at GAC 2026's Inclusive CDFI Roundtable, Shirley Sinn chats with James Hunter of New Orleans Firemen's Federal Credit Union to explore what financial inclusion really looks like in practice. James shares ...
2026-25 One Community - How Southwest Louisiana CU is Closing the Financial Divide
In this candid conversation at the 2026 GAC, Shirley Senn and Chad Miller, President & CEO of Southwest Louisiana Credit Union, explore what financial inclusion really looks like on the ground.From battling predatory lending to...
2026- 24 Banking the Unbanked: How Point West Credit Union Is Rewriting Financial Inclusion
At the 2026 GAC Inclusive CDFI Roundtable, Point West Credit Union's Steve Pagenstecher chats with CU Spotlight's Shirley Senn to share how a small Portland-based credit union is making a massive impact. From a strategic merger with the NAACP C...
2026-23 People First: Financial Inclusion, Empathy, and the Credit Union Mission
Shirley Senn meets Thalia Anguaino and Celia Castillo from TruStage ahead of the Inclusive CDFI Roundtable. The conversation explores why financial inclusion is at the heart of the credit union mission—from creating belonging within credit unio...
2026-20 People Helping People: How Jupid Is Saving Small Businesses Through Credit Unions
At the 2026 GAC CU 2.0 reception, Shirley Senn of CU Spotlight talks with Anna Khazlova, co-founder of Jupid, to explore why 50% of small businesses fail within five years — and how Jupid is tackling the root cause: compliance. Anna shares her ...
2026-19 Fintech with a Purpose: How Pesto is Bringing HELOC Power to CU Members
At the 2026 Credit Union Governmental Affairs Conference, host Shirley Senn chats with James Savoldelli, founder of Pesto, to explore how his fintech company is partnering with credit unions to give members access to their home equity — at a fr...
