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California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues’ REACH Innovation Group gets to work

Participants to Showcase Ideas at 2015 Leagues REACH Conference 

(February 23, 2015) — The California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues’ REACH Innovation Group officially launched last week with a two-day experiential learning session, immersing the 17 participants in the Filene Method of Innovation.

The purpose of the 2015 REACH Innovation Group is to develop new ideas and innovations for credit unions. It was launched in coordination with the Filene Research Institute, and modeled after Filene’s i3 (Ideas, Innovation, Implementation) program.

During the two-day session, held Feb. 18-19, the participants from credit unions throughout California and Nevada were split into four smaller groups, and participated in exercises involving innovating around a problem or opportunity.

“Now the teams will take what they learned and put that learning into action. They will meet weekly remotely and every six weeks they will connect via webinars facilitated by Filene,” said Tansley Stearns, chief impact officer at Filene. “The webinars will include refreshers on the methodology and each team presenting on homework assignments. This will keep the groups on track to move their insights into ideas and their ideas into prototypes to be tested and ultimately presented at REACH 2015. Seeing how well the teams connected over the last two days, we are so excited to see what they come up with.”

Participants will present their ideas at the 2015 REACH conference, to be held Nov. 4-6 at JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort and Spa in Palm Desert, CA.

Leagues’ SVP of Member Solutions Larry Palochik said, “I am excited to track the groups’ progress as they work on developing their projects for REACH 2015, and am confident we will able to take one or more of these ideas that really resonate with our credit union leaders to production.”

Participant Robert Baron of Technicolor Federal Credit Union said the two-day immersion session gave him a new perspective looking at the process and strategy of tackling issues and problems.

“This has been a great experience,” said Barton, who is vice president of marketing at the Burbank, CA-based  credit union. “Filene has provided us with a methodology to innovate and effectuate change, and our League is committed to helping make our ideas a reality.”

Baron’s group will be working on raising awareness of the credit union movement, its ideals, purpose, and mission through revolutionary new media delivery channels.

“This is an incredible opportunity to not only learn new techniques for innovation, but to also work closely with a diverse team and put our knowledge, skills and backgrounds to work. What we are doing is good for both our individual credit unions and our industry as a whole. I can’t wait to see what ideas are presented later this year,” said another participant, Kerstin Plemel, vice president of marketing from Greater Nevada Credit Union in Carson City, NV.

“Disrupting ‘business as usual’ isn’t just an empty mantra in the credit union industry—aligning Filene with these wise minds from across the California and Nevada credit union footprint is a recipe for success,” said Nicole Lopez-Conti, community outreach manager with Patelco Credit Union in Pleasanton, CA. “Our team, in particular, is ideating around how we can disrupt our financial literacy efforts for the better, creating sustainable and measurable impact—what a thrilling endeavor to be a part of.”

In addition to Baron, Plemel, and Lopez-Conti, the other members of the REACH Innovation Group are:

  • Wesley Walton, CFO/CIO, Water and Power Community Credit Union (Los Angeles, CA)
  • Kelly Cook, AVP of marketing, WestStar Credit Union (Las Vegas, NV)
  • Patty Chang, vice president of e-Commerce, Greater Nevada Credit Union
  • Lixa Anderson, IT application systems manager, SAFE Credit Union (Folsom, CA)
  • Amber  Fielder, marketing campaign specialist, Xceed Financial Credit Union (El Segundo, CA)
  • Jim Hossfeld, manager of membership development, SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union (Santa Ana, CA)
  • Tracy Arroyo, COO, Inland Valley Federal Credit Union (Fontana, CA)
  • Scott Ko, controller and special projects manager, University Credit Union (Los Angeles, CA)
  • Tony Salse, VP of IT, SCE Federal Credit Union (El Monte, CA)
  • Patricia Rocha, item processing/records manager, SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union
  • Nicholas Tomimatsu, business analyst, SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union
  • Jennifer D’Amico, AVP of marketing, CommonWealth Central Credit Union (San Jose, CA)
  • Lemuel  Curry, virtual center associate, Xceed Financial Credit Union (El Segundo, CA)
  • Elizabeth Freeman, SVP of strategic planning and chief investment officer, Golden 1 Credit Union (Sacramento, CA)

About the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues: 

With headquarters in Ontario, CA, the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues is the trade association representing the interests of more than 300 credit unions in California and Nevada, and their 10 million members. For more information, go to www.ccul.org.

About Filene: 

Filene Research Institute is an independent, consumer finance think and do tank dedicated to scientific and thoughtful analysis about issues affecting the future of credit unions, retail banking and cooperative finance. Filene is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Nearly 1,000 members make the nonprofit’s research, innovation and impact programs possible.

PHOTO CAPTION: The California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues’ REACH Innovation Group—featuring 17 participants from credit unions throughout California and Nevada—officially launched last week with a two-day experiential learning session, immersing them in the Filene Method of Innovation. The purpose of the group is to develop new ideas and innovations for credit unions. Participants will present their ideas at the 2015 REACH conference, to be held Nov. 4-6 at JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort and Spa in Palm Desert, CA.

 

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