Sept. 15, 2010

The judges for the Next Top Credit Union Exec, Powered by CUES, challenge are: Sean Gammon, president/CEO of Members Advantage Community Credit Union; Bradley Harvey, president/CEO of Horizons North Credit Union; Kevin Lytle, VP/marketing/public relations for WesCorp Federal Credit Union; and Michael Wark, president/CEO of Valley Credit Union. Each judge is a CUES Council officer.

Judges are responsible for staying current on the projects each of the six finalists are reporting on at NextTopCreditUnionExec.com, and for viewing the final presentations with a critical eye toward the criteria of creative thinking, content/idea and style. Finalists will each have 10 minutes to recap their project in a presentation face-off at CUES' CEO/Executive Team Network™ in Dallas, Nov. 7-10.

According to Gammon, a New England CUES Council officer, “The six finalists are truly outstanding. They all have very bright futures in the credit union movement. I find it inspiring to see their enthusiasm, great ideas and overall focus on their projects. 

“It’s very easy to keep up with their individual projects. I prefer watching the videos myself, mostly due to the creative nature they display and the chance to really feel the passion they each bring to their projects. The blogs are also an excellent way to get updated and often learn more detailed information on their status.

“I’m looking forward to seeing all six present their ideas in November.”

The judging panel is just one of the ways the finalists’ presentations will be judged. Audience members will be able to vote on the spot for their favorite, and the public can vote on line on Nov. 9. The finalist with the highest score based on audience and online votes, as well as the judging panel results, will earn the title of Next Top Credit Union Exec and receive a $20,000 educational package.

All judges agree: Determining the winner won’t be easy. “The six finalists represent the best of the credit union movement: enthusiasm, innovative thinking and commitment to their credit union. Selecting only one as the Next Top Credit Union Exec will be difficult indeed,” predicts Lytle, a Southern California/Arizona CUES Council officer. 

Visit NextTopCreditUnionExec.com and check out the regional finalists’ projects. To register for the conference and participate in audience voting, visit cues.org/cnet.

Finalist Update

Kelsey Balcaitis, a 23-year-old community education specialist with A+ Federal Credit Union in Austin, Texas, is the new Southwest Finalist, replacing James Roller who has resigned from the competition. Balcaitis was the second-place vote-getter in the Southwest during online voting in June. View Balcaitis’ project.