Conference Registration

Welcome Reception: Co-Sponsored by OM Financial

Enjoy cocktails, light dining & great conversation with other credit union leaders from across the nation, their guests and “The Ones in Red” before enjoying your first evening in Savannah.

CU Conferences is grateful for the support of its sponsor, OM Financial, and would like to thank them for co-sponsoring the reception. Learn more about OM Financial.

Sit-Down Breakfast (GP)

Opening Remarks

How to 'Pass' the NCUA Tech Audit (Without Losing Your Mind!)

Mike Robins, COO, Dynamic Edge, Inc.

For many credit unions, preparing for the NCUA audit conjures images of stressful supervisory committee meetings, adversarial debates with your technology team, and frustrating conversations regarding a lack of progress on last year’s deficiencies. It doesn’t have to be that way. This session will recommend a practical, proactive approach to your annual audit. It will help you prioritize audit findings, budget proactively based on reasonable project scopes, and demonstrate to auditors that you are making consistent progress with internal controls. Finally, it will empower you not only to “pass” the NCUA test, but more importantly, protect your members’ assets from cyber threats and internal/external fraud.

Networking/Refreshment Break

Fraud Update: What the Board and Supervisory Committee Need to Watch Out For

Deron Rossi, President, DJR Consulting

Fraud risks are constantly present, even in good times. In an era of uncertainty and recession fears, the risk of fraud increases.  It is not a time to get complacent, or worse, to assume that someone else is watching out for fraud risks. The board has a responsibility, along with the supervisory committee, to keep their eye on the ball. In the financial services industry, fraud can be more prevalent, and it can be crippling to a financial institution’s reputation.

Deron will highlight the key findings in the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) 2022 Report to the Nations.  He will also share some fraud trending from previous versions of the ACFE reports so attendees can see how the trends are going.  You will also hear some recent frauds in financial services, including one from one of the largest credit unions in the country, showing fraud can hit any credit union, large or small.  In the end, attendees will walk away with an augmented understanding of what to watch out for in the area of fraud risk. 

Are You Ready for PCI 4.0? Readiness. Risk Management and Compliance - Part I

Randy Romes, Principal/Information Security, CliftonLarsonAllen

The PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) has been in place for over 15 years.  In that time the standard has been updated through three major revisions, including the release of version 4 in late 2022.  Most credit unions incorrectly believe that they do not need to manage or report compliance because they use “encrypted hardware” or they have outsourced the responsibility to third party service providers.  

This session will describe the latest updates to the compliance standard, present solutions to common challenges in adhering to the standard, and provide attendees with clear strategies for how credit unions can manage the risk and compliance needs related to credit card security.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand how the core elements of the PCI DSS apply to business operations

• Recognize key challenges faced by credit unions in managing a PCI compliance program

Sit-Down Luncheon (GP)

Are You Ready for PCI 4.0? Readiness. Risk Management and Compliance - Part II

Randy Romes, Principal/Information Security, CliftonLarsonAllen

Join Randy after lunch for the conclusion of his presentation.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the newest changes as a result of the release of version 4.0 of the compliance standard

• Learn how a well functioning PCI compliance program and support and enhance the credit union’s risk management program

Lessons Learned from Financial, Market, and Health Crisis

Brian Smith-Vandergriff, CFO, Ohio University Credit Union

While there is not a playbook for every crisis, there are some themes that have emerged for steering credit unions through a range of disruptions. We will review some of those themes, as well as have an opportunity for conference attendees to share experiences from their own credit unions.

Daily Wrap-Up

Sit-Down Breakfast (GP)

Opening Remarks

Economic Update

Bill Farley, President/CEO, aCUmen America, LLC

GDP, interest Rates, unemployment, housing, inflation, recession…all of these are top of mind when navigating our credit unions into the future. We’ll review these key economic indicators as well as an analysis of the credit union marketplace to help you make better strategic decisions through 2023 and beyond.

Networking/Refreshment Break

Lessons Learned the Hard Way - Case Studies in Cybersecurity Breaches

Randy Romes, Principal/Information Security, CliftonLarsonAllen

The last two years have provided significant learning opportunities in cyber incident response, disaster recovery and business continuity.  This session will analyze case studies of cybersecurity breaches and business continuity situations from the last 18 months that had significant impact on businesses.

We will explore lessons learned as a result of (1) supply chain software vulnerabilities (eg. SolarWinds Orion, Log4J, MS Exchange); and (2) examples of Ranswomware attacks that occurred throughout 2022 that had significant impact on IT/cyber operations.

Attendees will gain an up-to-date understanding of the current threat landscape through the analysis of the case studies and examples from our penetration testing, incident response, and forensic practice.  Through examination of the case studies we will explore strategies to mitigate the risks related to these types of situations and attacks, and discuss the elements and structure of incident response plans.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the latest threat developments

• Recognize critical dependencies and risks in outsourced service provider relationships

• Learn where credit unions can focus valuable risk mitigation resources

• Develop and refine a framework of knowledge to plan future security efforts

Modern Risk Management

Brian Smith-Vandergriff, CFO, Ohio University Credit Union

Credit unions are in the "risk" business by design as we manage the needs of borrowers and savers.  This session will provide insights into understanding the various types of risks that credit unions face, as well as some discussion of ways to monitor and manage those risks.

Daily Wrap-Up

Sit-Down Breakfast (GP)

Opening Remarks

Procurement Fraud/Third Party Risk: Are you Watching for Money Walking out the Door?

Deron Rossi, President, DJR Consulting

Credit unions are more reliant than ever on third parties. Some of the third parties may be business partners, some are vendors.  Managing fraud risks caused by third parties is one of the areas of continued concern with fraud and risk professionals. Many times, boards and supervisory committees do not have visibility to the amount of spending on third parties, yet alone to the bidding process, the level of criticality of each vendor, etc.  

If you are not watching, money will be leaving your credit union and you might not even know it. Third party management is an area where you can be in the headlines for fraud at your credit union, and nobody wants that!

In this session, we will share best practices in this critical area of risk.

Networking/Refreshment Break

Blind-Sided Risks

Bill Farley, President/CEO, aCUmen America

From insurance ,to policies and procedures, to disaster recovery manuals, credit unions can identify and manage most risks.  Unfortunately, risk is a moving target.  In this session we will review two unconventional risks and how to mitigate them effectively.

Conference Wrap-Up

Optional Luncheon Paddleboat Cruise ($75 Additional)
Tickets are Limited

Take a short walk from the Hyatt Regency Savannah and join fellow conference attendees and the “Ones in Red” for an afternoon of cruising and dining. This scenic excursion includes a delicious southern buffet with all the trimmings & a narrated tour along the picturesque Savannah River.