LIVE
WIRE 25
ACUMA Returns to In-Person Conference in 2021
T
he 25th Annual ACUMA Conference (LiveWire25!) got underway Sunday, September 12, 2021, as attendees who traveled to the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, Maryland, registered for the event in the afternoon at the beautiful waterfront venue, which featured a view of Washington, D.C. across the Potomac River. In the early evening, attendees were treated to a Welcome Reception that featured appetizers and beverages, as well as an opportunity to visit with colleagues and make new contacts. (Another well-attended reception was held after Monday’s program, and, continuing an ACUMA tradition, hot breakfast and lunch buffets were also provided during the event.) “Everyone was so excited for the opportunity to see and network with other ACUMA members,” said ACUMA President Tracy Ashfield. Although masks were also in attendance, ACUMA provided bracelets—green, yellow and red—for attendees to show their comfort level with proximity to others. The system worked well and the large Exhibit Hall provided lots of space for conversations and distance. On Monday morning, when a show of hands indicated about twothirds of the crowd were first-time attendees, Ashfield told them, “Don’t be shy. Take the opportunity while you’re here to visit with peers and exhibitors” as well as “grow and enhance your mortgage programs” through the many conference sessions. The hundreds of attendees did just that, listening to expert speakers and attending top-notch educational sessions on everything mortgage. Calling the conference a success, Todd Lambright, VP of Sales at Georgia’s Own Credit Union, praised the “solid content, great partners and a schedule that made networking valuable.” During the conference, ACUMA Board Chairman Barry Stricklin recognized Ashfield for steering the organization through the Covid-19 pandemic, “the most challenging year in the history of ACUMA.” Stricklin commended the many ACUMA members who staffed credit unions during the pandemic as essential workers. “Financial well-being goes hand-in-hand with being healthy,” he said. “You should be proud of yourselves.”
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ACUMA PIPELINE - WINTER 2022
MONDAY PROGRAM CAPSULES “ How Credit Unions Can Leverage Diversity as a Competitive Advantage.” Monday’s program opened with a Keynote Session by J. Tony Thompson, Founder & CEO of the National Association of Minority Mortgage Bankers of America (NAMMBA). He spoke on the importance of creating and maintaining a diverse workforce within an organization, and he shared steps a credit union can take to engage and connect with the multicultural marketplace to help grow membership. Thompson noted that one in three Americans are credit union members and only one in 10 get their mortgage loans there. He said that provided a great opportunity to grow loans, especially if credit unions increase diversity by reaching out to single women, communities of color and the LGBTQ community. Keep in mind, Thompson said, that by 2040 an estimated 70% of U.S. homebuyers will be minorities. That means credit unions must “build a high level of trust” with minorities by communicating with them in the ways they want, within their communities and through an increasingly diverse CU workforce.
J. Tony Thompson
