CUNA Management School

A Tradition of Excellence…Hear it From Those Who Know…

Richard J. Benhart
Class of 1989
President/CEO, Collins Community CU
When Richard Benhart took the position of Senior Vice President at his current credit union, he had one stipulation…only if he’d be able to attend CUNA Management School within a year or two. His credit union accepted his offer and in 1989 he graduated from CMS.

Now, as President/CEO of the same credit union, Richard says that the knowledge he gained from the well-rounded curriculum still applies each and every day he goes to work. "We still use the strategic planning model that I used for my class project back in 1989. With it, we’ve been able to build on the credit union’s reputation as more than just a financial institution. We’re letting people know that we’re an active community corporate leader that does a lot more than provide financial products."

Richard says that he still has some good friends from his CMS days. "By being able to network with graduates from all over the country, you’re able to communicate to solve problems or create new opportunities."

Bob Boucher
Class of 2004
Vice President of Lending, Sikorsky Financial CU
"When I first started my career, I didn’t have many strong management role models at my credit union. So basically, I forged my own management style through a few years of trial and error." And when Bob first heard about CUNA Management School? "I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical. I visualized something totally meat and potatoes. When I got there, I was surprise to find it was totally different than I imagined."

After just a few days on campus, Bob saw there was more to CMS than just "meat and potatoes". "I learned as much out of class as I did in class. I’ve never spent that much time just talking with my peers. I met people from all over the country who were facing the same issues as me and I found answers to many of my questions."

Bob credits his CMS experiences in helping him obtain his current position as Vice President of Lending. "When I interviewed for the job, I researched Sikorsky's NCUA Call Report and sited several aspects of their position during the interview. Before CMS, I wouldn’t have know to look at the NCUA site or even how to interpret the data." In his current position, Bob has already implemented some positive changes and says, "to come in here and make changes and still have the respect of my managers, that’s a testament to the skills I learned at CUNA Management School."

Kathy A. Bush
Class of 1989
Vice President Human Resources, CCSD FCU
Kathy began her credit union career in 1976, while she was still a senior in high school. At that time, her credit union was small but growing at a tremendous rate. "I think I literally grew up with my credit union."

During the early days of her career, Kathy wore many hats. "I had a lot of responsibilities, some of them I enjoyed, some of them I didn’t." She believes CUNA Management School was instrumental in helping her focus her abilities and decide the direction her career should take. "I began to learn how to set clear goals, create action steps, and track my progress. That, with the hands-on learning environment, resulted in a deeper understanding of the areas that I needed to focus on in my career."

Shortly after graduation, Kathy was given the opportunity to choose between a comptroller position or becoming the credit union's first Vice President of Human Resources. "Knowing the responsibilities of both positions and understanding the areas in which I excelled, I had no problem deciding which direction I wanted to continue in my career."

Since her graduation, Kathy has maintained friendships with some of her classmates. "CMS was definitely the foundation for beginning many professional and personal relationships." In April, Kathy will be celebrating her 29th anniversary with her credit union.

Maxine (Pakovich) Callies
Class of 1981
President, SIUE CU
When she began her career in 1968, Maxine Callies would be the first to tell you that she knew nothing about credit unions. "I looked for old reports to find out what had been done previously and that gave me a guide to what needed to be done now." Then she began CUNA Management School.

"I was in awe. I had discussions with students from all areas of credit union employment and from all asset sizes. It was a networking paradise." Almost immediately, Maxine started to see the benefits of a CMS education. "Classes were structured to bring me up-to-date on current trends and give me a glimpse of the future. It wasn’t long before I realized, if our credit union was going to grow, I was the person who now had the skills to make it happen."

Over the years, Maxine has maintained contact with many of her former classmates. "As I said, the networking was a valuable source of help and information. It was great to be with so many talented people who were ready to talk "credit union" for hours on end." Maxine feels that CUNA Management School gave her the confidence in her professional abilities that she lacked. "I came away armed with information, contacts, and a network of professionals to call on."

Dan Clarke
Class of 2000
President/CEO, Salmon Falls Community CU
Ask Dan Clarke about his years at CUNA Management School and he’ll tell you that although the educational experience was top-notch, it was what happens outside of the classroom that was most important to him. That’s because Dan considers his time at CMS to be one of the best social experiences of his life. "Although it's been 5 years, the friendships I made from CMS are still strong and my classmates are a great sounding board for decisions I make every day. At one point, some former classmates and I even started up a Web site to discuss all things credit union related." Although the Web site is now defunct, Dan still maintains a mailing list of about 25 former students.

Dan also believes he learned a lot about building confidence from attending classes. "The ropes course in year three really helped me overcome my anxieties. All in all, CUNA Management School really helped give me the confidence to know that I could become a CEO."

Tina Dix
Class of 1991
Executive Vice President of Operations, Royal Oakland Community CU
Prior to her graduation from CMS, Tina Dix admits that she didn’t always see the "overall picture". "I knew I was making a contribution to my credit union but didn’t really know how. Now, I feel like I finally understand my role and my credit union."

Tina says that her education was "worth every cent". "Socially, I’d never had the opportunity to go away to college. Going to the University of Wisconsin for three summers and living the dorm life is something I’ll treasure forever. Professionally, before this experience I would get sick talking in front of a group of people. Now, it’s just a part of my job and it doesn’t bother me at all."

Shortly after her gradation, Tina was given the title of Vice President of Branch Services. "CMS gave me the confidence to become a leader within our credit union. I strongly believe that the focus of my education and the networking opportunities it provided, helped mold my career."

Kevin Finneran
Class of 2001
CEO/President, Birmingham Bloomfield CU
Kevin Finneran never had a chance to go away to college. So when he attended CUNA Management School, it was his first big opportunity to network. "Going to classes gave me the chance to learn about new areas of the credit union business, plus I was able to meet and talk with people who worked in a variety of areas of the industry."

Since attending CMS in 2001, Kevin has achieved several of his goals. "I’ve supervised an entire credit union operation, worked with management and staff to market our credit union, and assisted the Board of Directors in strategic planning." He says his schooling also helped him to implemented new services at his credit union, like home banking, debit cards, and an interactive web site.

Kevin feels that attending CUNA Management School has helped him create a very strong network of friends. "I frequently talk to or e-mail many fellow graduates concerning credit union operations. We have the benefit of exchanging information and act as a resource for each other when we encounter problems or have new ideas."

Mike Harvey
Class of 1981
Executive Vice President, John Deere Community CU
In 1981, Mike Harvey was the CEO/Manager of a small but busy credit union with $12 million in assets. When he decided to attend the CUNA Management School, he admits that the investment of time initially concerned him. "As I look back to that first summer, it’s hard to imagine that I was able to be away from the credit union for two consecutive weeks." And how does Mike feel about his decision now? It was an in investment of time he could only describe as "fantastic".

Mike was a member of the CUNA Management School’s Silver Anniversary Graduating Class. "I remember Al Jordan, longtime credit union leader and president of the Iowa Credit Union League, was the keynote speaker for the graduation ceremony."

During those three summers, Mike believes he made a network of peers and friends that are still invaluable resources today. "When our credit union is considering a new product or service, I still contact folks I met at CMS to see what experiences they might have."

Ernest Jackson
Class of 2001
President/CEO, CommStar CU
Ernest Jackson was a successful Marketing and Business Development Manager for CommStar Credit Union but he always wanted more. However, it wasn’t until he began his schooling at CUNA Management School that the opportunity for that something more presented itself. "Within my second year at school, I was promoted to President/CEO of my credit union!"

Although Ernest had plenty of on-the-job experience, there’s no doubt in his mind that attending CMS was what won him the position. "I don’t think I’d be President/CEO if I hadn’t completed the program. My commitment to CMS, combined with my job performance, allowed for my promotion." Since graduating, Ernest has also successfully added several new products and services to his credit union and assisted in their first merger.

"It’s an outstanding program. I’ve maintained contact with several classmates and we frequently network for support and friendship."

Mary Johnson
Class of 2004
CEO, Army Guard FCU
Mary Johnson was a new CEO when she first started classes at CUNA Management School. "CMS was the most valuable training I had received. It taught me not only what I needed to know to be a successful leader, it also showed me how to look within myself for answers." Mary says that attending school showed her how to look at the entire picture as a manager. "Not only did I learn what the numbers mean on a daily basis, but I became more confident in my abilities."

Mary’s board took notice of her new abilities as well. Not long after graduating, Mary’s credit union grew from 6.8 million to 7.2 million and had a record breaking income of $92,000. "I have seen first hand what a difference it can make in someone’s life if you take a break from your everyday tasks as a CEO and get to know the people around you. When you work together as a team, you can move mountains!"

As Vice President of the CUNA Management School Alumni Board, Mary has constant communication with other CMS graduates. And this summer, Mary will return to the campus to work as a graduate assistant. "I’m excited about helping other CMS classmates attain their personal and professional best. I want to help them learn and I also want to let them know how lucky they are to have the opportunity to experience the true impact of what credit unions are about, people helping people."

Nancy Kline
Class of 2000
President, Fire Police City County FCU
A big part of the CUNA Management School experience has always been the development of teamwork. When it came to the experiential learning event, Nancy Kline found this out first hand. "I was the oldest in our class and we had to climb a rock wall." Nancy says she ordinarily wouldn’t have attempted such a task but she was lead on by her classmates. "I made it to the top amid cheers and shouts. I’ll always appreciate the help and encouragement I received."

Nancy says that some of the projects even helped her gain insight into her own credit union’s history and she found her new insight enlightening. "So often we forget our beginnings and lose track of why we’re in business. A lot of the exercises really helped me remember what our true purpose is, people helping people."

Marietta LoVerde
Class of 1997
Chief Operating Officer, Sweet Home FCU
Although she had been involved in the credit union movement for almost 19 years, Marietta LoVerde still feels that CUNA Management School was one of the most valuable experiences of her career. "It was one of my major accomplishments. While attending CMS, I developed an awareness of the big picture and why we’re in this business."

Marietta says that attending CMS gave her the background, tools and most of all the confidence to become Chief Operating Officer at her credit union. "The interaction with the other students, the exchange of experiences and ideas, was all very valuable. All-in-all, it was truly a beneficial experience, I’ve encourage two other employees to attend."

Since graduating from CMS, Marietta has helped to double the membership of her credit union and successfully implemented a youth saving program into her local elementary schools.

Diane M. Menton
Class of 1997
President/CEO, Fort Snelling FCU
Diane Menton says that her experience attending CMS is one she’ll always be thankful for. "It gave me the opportunity to take part in a variety of knowledge enriching classes, apply that knowledge with hands-on projects, and network with a terrific group of colleagues."

She calls her education "a perfect culmination of the whole learning, adapting, and applying experience". Through classroom instruction, she gained knowledge on a wide variety of credit union duties and responsibilities. "I was then able to apply these new skills through the bridge projects. The projects were always challenging and forced you to apply the classroom training to the task."

Expanding her knowledge also gave Diane the courage to move forward in her career. Shortly after graduation, she became President/CEO of her credit union. "I feel CMS gave me the spark I needed and put me in a better position to apply for this position."

Diane called the networking and fellowship with other credit union professionals positive and rewarding. She still keeps in contact with her classmates and continues to recommend CMS to her fellow employees. "Our Vice President of Lending recently graduated from CMS!"

Jacqueline Y. Moore
Class of 2000
Assistant Manager, Faith Community CU
Jacqueline Moore works as an Assistant Manager for one of the largest minority owned credit unions in the state of Ohio. What did she find most beneficial from her time at CUNA Management School? "I think that the most interesting part of my schooling was networking with other credit unions." Jacqueline explains that there are certain policies and procedures needed when you’re working for a small, low income, community development credit union and that meeting other people who understood those needs was most helpful. "I still keep in contact with classmates today, I made some great friends."

Wanda M. (Bishop) Ross
Class of 1993
Loan Department Supervisor, Ripco CU
Wanda (Bishop) Ross knows first hand how important graduation from CMS can be to career advancement. "I started at Ripco Credit Union as a Loan Interviewer. I began the position with the understanding that, upon successful completion of CUNA Management School, I’d be replacing the manager of the loan department when he retired."

In 1993, Wanda did successfully graduate from CMS and she received her promotion. She credits most of it to her education. "The classes certainly prepared me for a career in management. My exposure to so many knowledgeable people was by far the most significant experience for me."

Wanda feels that understanding the credit union movement, and how her own credit union had evolved to fit into that structure, was incredible. "CUNA Management School has been one of the greatest accomplishments of my career. The knowledge that you get from this will follow you in all facets of your life."

Lynn Sabatino
Class of 1998
Vice President, Members CU
When Lynn Sabatino first became a teller, she knew nothing about credit unions. "I had no experience in the financial industry. So I learned as I went and took really good notes." But Lynn did know that she didn’t want to be a teller forever, so she began to take on extra responsibilities to show her manager that she could do more. Her manager took note and soon asked if she’d be interested in CUNA Management School.

"The experience was extremely valuable. It really gave me an overview of the entire credit union operation." Lynn says that the classes were a challenge but conquering new concepts was tough, yet rewarding. "Now, I’m able to participate in the yearly planning of the credit union with a confidence and knowledge I wouldn’t have had without CUNA Management School."

Kurt L. Snyder
Class of 1992
Vice President & Chief Information Officer, Affinity FCU
Kurt Snyder didn’t know what to expect when he enrolled in the CUNA Management School but admits when he arrived on the University of Wisconsin campus it was a pleasant surprise. "I’d never lived on campus before, it was actually a fun experience." Kurt found that meeting people from across the country and from many different sized credit unions was "enlightening". "We all bonded quickly and I actually looked forward to returning each summer."

As for his educational experience at CUNA Management School, Kurt says the varied curriculum and hands on nature of much of the work was invaluable to him. "I think the prework required each year, working toward the final presentation before your group, and the instructional staff gave me the greatest insights into the inner workings of a credit union."

Since graduating, Kurt has been working towards achieving many of his goals. He now serves on the board of Affinity Investment Services (CUSO), he implemented initiatives to instill a client service focus in his credit union’s IT Team, he oversaw his corporate relocation, and many other challenging tasks. Kurt says that attending CUNA Management School gave him the skills to make presentations and become confident in his public speaking. "In general, attending the school broadened my understanding of the credit union industry and strengthened my belief that teamwork is essential for success."

Steven Stofferahn
Class of 2004
President/CEO, Air Guard FCU
Steven Stofferahn is a recent graduate of the CUNA Management School and proof positive of the immediate effects that can come from the program. Prior to attending, most of Steven’s skills had been acquired "on the job". "I simply learned from the mistakes that I made, as well as from the mistakes of others." He says many of the things he was doing on a daily basis, he did because "they had to be done" and that he never fully comprehended what effect they might have on the credit union.

"CMS has helped me by providing some additional insight into areas of the credit union that I had not previously been able to train for. It has opened my eyes to the differences in how small and large credit unions operate on a daily basis, as well as some of the philosophies that are utilized throughout the different areas of this country.

Steven feels that just meeting the people at CUNA Management School was one of the best experiences of his three years here. "It rejuvenated me. It showed me that there really is a strong bond between credit unions, no matter what asset level and that we all have the same core value of serving our members to the best of our potential."

During his years at CUNA Management School, Steven developed a great network of contacts across the country. "I still communicate with several of my CMS classmates on a regular basis through e-mail and telephone. Maybe it’s kind of corny to say but I made some lifelong friends during those 6 weeks in Madison."

Guy Trenhaile
Class of 1998
President, HealthCare Plus FCU
How does Guy Trenhaile describe his experience at CUNA Management School? In a word, "invaluable!" When Guy attended back in 1998, he says one of his greatest experiences was meeting other credit union professionals. "I met people from all aspects of the business, from tellers to marketing people." Guy learned that people have different strengths and weaknesses. "I realized that smaller credit unions, because they weren’t as specialized, had a greater depth of knowledge."

Attending classes also gave Guy the confidence he needed to point his own credit union in the right direction. "We purchased a new building for the credit union and are now on our third remodel." The new building features a drive-up, three ATMs, Internet banking, and voice teller. Guy has also joined the South Dakota Credit Union League Board of Directors, currently serving as Board Secretary.

Completing CUNA Management School was one of Guy’s biggest accomplishments. "There were five of us in the 1998 class from South Dakota. The two of us who remain employed by credit unions, both serve on the SDCUL Board."

Lisa Wedekind
Class of 2004
Senior Bondability Underwriter, CUNA Mutual Group
When she graduated from the University of Wisconsin Madison, with an Associates Degree in Claims, Lisa Wedekind felt like she had a basic knowledge of the way that a credit union works. It was at CUNA Management School, however, where Lisa felt she received her real education. "I learned so much about the financial workings of a credit union, as well as getting a better understanding of financial institutions in general." But ask Lisa what her fondest memories of her summers at CUNA Management School were and you’ll hear about something more than just an education.

"I had a fantastic experience with the credit union professionals who I attended school with. I’ve developed many friendships that I will treasure always." Lisa believes that today, the support and camaraderie of the those team building challenges, have continued to help handle her inter-personal relationships. "I learned the power of praise, support and having someone believe in you. I learned that I could do much more than I thought I could when someone cheered for me, and I am applying that in my professional and home life."

Leslie B. Willerth
Class of 1991
President, VAMCO CU
"No matter what size the operation, we all have similar challenges to face every day." That’s what Leslie took away from his CMS experience. "I realized that the credit union industry consists of a group of very special people working towards a common goal. It was so rewarding to meet and work with my peers from all sizes of credit unions, from all parts of the country."

Leslie feels that attending CMS provided him with the confidence to continue his credit union career. "It gave me direction in areas of weakness and the resources to improve my shortcomings." He also says that CMS proved to him the value of continued industry education. "My education helped me successfully turn around two credit unions. I’ve implemented numerous programs like credit cards, debit cards, home equity lending, indirect auto lending, web site development, and Internet access. I really feel CMS helped me better understand the industry as whole."

"The friendships I formed with industry professionals have been invaluable resources throughout the years. I know I can pick up the phone and talk to people from CMS anytime and they’ll welcome the opportunity to provide me with assistance."

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