Lizeth GeorgeThe last 3 ½ months have been somewhat of a learning journey for me. A significant portion of my time has been focused on talking to perspective candidates for the LSCU President position, as well as listening to Association Services team members and credit unions, to better understand the current state of the Association and what needs to change moving forward.
The LSCU President interview process has been both enlightening and somewhat humbling. Modern, the executive search firm we contracted with, has brought forward some very qualified candidates for the President’s position, including executives from other state Leagues, former CUNA/NASCUS/NCUA employees, and other non-credit union trade association candidates.
The current structure of Association Services, and what we fundamentally do on behalf of credit unions, is essentially the same structure I implemented almost thirteen years ago when I came here from the Michigan League. As you know, over the past 4+ years, I’ve been heavily focused first on the LSCU/GCUA consolidation, and then turning my attention to working closely with LEVERAGE President Steve Willis to drive growth on the for-profit side of the organization. Through the above-mentioned interviews and listening sessions, what I have come to understand is that the Association is good but not great. We’re reliable, but not innovative/forward leaning. Too few credit unions are being asked to do far too much to drive success for the movement in our three states and the League. We need to broaden and deepen engagement among credit unions in everything we do. We need to better deploy data analytics to identify gaps in engagement and let individual credit unions and chapters know what is expected of them if they want to advance their operating environment, both at the state level and in Washington, D.C. That is our pathway to future success for both our credit unions and the League.
Hiring an LSCU President that is a strategic thinker, that can work closely with me and their staff to drive innovative new ideas and then execute on those ideas, became one of the key attributes I was looking for in this position. The President must also have a passion for continual process improvement and make that infectious among their team. Our Association Services foundation is strong. I continue to be impressed with the passion and dedication of these talented men and women. Through this transition period, they have not missed a beat.
Today I am excited to announce the hire of Samantha Beeler as LSCU President. Samantha currently serves as Vice President of Advocacy for the Northwest Credit Union Association (NWCUA) which is the regional trade association for credit unions in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. In her role, Samantha is responsible for advocacy, compliance, legal and member engagement. Prior to working for the NWCUA, she led communications for a Government Contracts Practice group in Washington, D.C. Samantha grew up in Alabama and lived in Georgia. Samantha and her husband Garrett, who is a member of U.S. Special Forces, have three daughters: Aryan (6 yrs. old), Alanna (3 yrs. old) and Adaire (9 months). The family, along with their nanny, look forward to moving to the Southeast to be closer to family. Samantha will be based out of the LSCU & Affiliates Birmingham office with her first day with the organization scheduled for March 21st.
I have long believed, and stated publicly, that the NWCUA is one of the most progressive state Leagues in the country and is the gold standard for everything advocacy and member engagement related. As we look to evolve Association Services to serve the current and future needs of our credit unions, Samantha will bring a wealth of knowledge, innovation, and energy to LSCU & Affiliates.
Samantha will be attending our Sunday night reception at the CUNA GAC so for those attending the conference, you should have an opportunity to meet her face-to-face. Additionally, she is slated to attend Executive Dialogue on March 23-34 in Naples, which will give her another opportunity to meet AL/FL/GA credit union CEOs.
I am excited about where we are going as an organization. Samantha will help drive evolution for the betterment of our member credit unions and the organization.
Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions. Thank you for your continued support throughout this change process.
Sincerely,
Patrick La Pine
Chief Executive Officer
LSCU & Affiliates
