Detailed Program Information

Registration and Networking Breakfast – 8:00 am
Enjoy a full family style breakfast to start your day.   Take this time to meet new people and build community.

Opening Keynote – 9:00 am
The Hero Effect: Being Your Best When It Matters Most
Kevin Brown, Assistant Vice President of Marketing for SERVPRO
In a fresh and entertaining style, Kevin will share ideas, strategies and principles that will inspire and equip you to show up every day and make a positive difference.  Kevin’s message is a simple, yet powerful philosophy for life that drives every thought, every action and ultimately every result we achieve both personally and professionally. You and your team will be motivated to reach beyond what is required and so something remarkable!

Networking Break with Exhibitors – 10:00 am
Meet and network with industry resource experts specific to your call center needs.

Breakout Sessions – 10:30 am (repeat at 1:00 pm and 2:30 pm)

Activate Your Agents’ “Super Powers”
Julie Schippers, AVP, Member Contact Center, Altra Federal Credit Union brought to you by KIVA Group
While boosting agent productivity and performance will always be top objectives for any contact center, improving the quality of interactions and the omnichannel member experience is undeniably taking precedence at most institutions. Yet, agents are often being used as “human putty” to bridge gaps between new and antiquated processes. Recent research shows that there’s an important correlation between the agent and member experience. Discover how your contact center can alleviate a lot of the day-to-day burdens of the job, equip agents to better understand members’ needs and empower them to perform heroic sales and service feats! We’ll examine the agent desktop characteristics, underlying infrastructure and best practices of high performing contact centers who employ and activate their agents “super powers” and delight members!

Transforming Your Call Center Staff from Order Takers to Financial Solution Partners
Celeste C. Cook, Speaker, Consultant, Trainer
Explore proven strategies designed to help transform your staff from order takers to Financial Solution Partners that can lead to increased loan growth, profitability, and member loyalty/retention. Learn what you can do to take your credit union to the next level!

  • Explore a holistic leadership approach to create a relationship-driven culture to increase loan growth and profitability
  • Discover a solution-based approach to enhance the lives of our members, people and business partners in our communities
  • Identify key strategies for Member Engagement
  • Determine what you can do to create partnerships with your members with a focus on Win/Win/Win Solutions
  • Explore innovative lending strategies to increase loan growth and profitability

Best Practices to Future-Proof Your Contact Center with Omni-channel
Rich Fox, Vice President at Evolve IP
According to CUNA research, most people mistakenly believe that credit unions are too small and local to meet modern service level expectations. Omni-channel contact center and communication capabilities are increasingly expected by the members and prospective members that credit unions want to serve and attract. Further, research reveals that businesses employing an omni-channel contact center strategy retain an average of 89% of their customers. In short, your members are no longer happy just calling in to speak with agents: the channels they use to communicate with the world are changing. Is your contact center prepared for this shift? Rich Fox, Vice President at Evolve IP, will share the keys to getting your credit union prepared in this presentation entitled “Best Practices to Future-Proof Your Contact Center with Omni-channel”.

Networking Lunch – 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Keep the community conversations going by sharing lunch served family style.

Breakout Sessions – 1:00 pm (repeat at 2:30 pm)
Choices! Choices! Choices! The same breakouts repeat.

Networking Break with Exhibitors – 2:00 pm
Meet and network with industry resource experts specific to your call center needs.

Breakout Sessions – 2:30 pm
Didn’t get to see one of the speakers? Don’t worry – The same breakouts repeat.

Round Table and CEO Forum Discussions – 3:45 pm
It’s here! One of your favorite parts of the program.  Visit and share best practices happening in your call center with your peers. We traditionally divide groups by asset size but you are welcome to attend any round table.

Networking Reception – 5:30 pm
Come together for more community time under the beautiful Las Vegas sky.  Snacks and beverages will be available

Dinner on your own – 6:30 pm
Here is a chance to explore Las Vegas with your new found friends.  Stop by the registration desk for dinner ideas and coupon offers.

Kevin Brown

Kevin Brown

Kevin’s unconventional path to business and personal success has taught him that winning in business and in life requires anything but conventional thinking.
He grew up in Muskegon, Michigan where his blue collar roots taught him the value of hard work and determination. His resume includes working in a funeral home, washing oil drums, selling household appliances door to door and buying a franchise at the age of seventeen.
With a street-wise aptitude and a never quit attitude, he worked his way from the front lines in business to the executive boardroom of a company that is ranked in the top ten of all franchisors and #1 in their industry. For the past seventeen years he has been part of an extraordinary team that has grown a little known brand into an industry giant with annual revenues exceeding one billion dollars.
Kevin has overcome personal tragedy, self sabotage and a lack of resources to create a life that not only makes him proud, but inspires him to want to help others. He is passionate about helping people expand their vision, develop their potential and grow their results. And, as the father of an autistic child he knows firsthand how the principles of true success reach beyond the boardroom and into the lives of real people facing the challenges of everyday life.
Kevin is the Assistant Vice President of Marketing for SERVPRO, an international franchise system with nearly 1700 franchise locations specializing in fire and water cleanup and restoration. In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Kevin is also a highly sought after keynote speaker. He has had the privilege of speaking to a wide variety of organizations including Siemens, State Farm, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Delta Airlines and The Boy Scouts of America to name just a few.
Kevin entertains, inspires and challenges people to show up every day and make a positive difference at work and in life!

Celeste Cook

Celeste Cook

Celeste Cook is founder and President/CEO of cuStrategies LLC. As a credit union industry strategist, Celeste provides strategic planning services, experienced consulting services, and expert training programs to the credit union industry. In addition to being a consultant and trainer, she is a keynote and motivational speaker with a dynamic and engaging style that have made her highly sought after within the credit union industry. Celeste has also served as an industry expert as well as a motivational and keynote speaker for credit union associations and leagues nationwide.
Along with being CEO of cuStrategies LLC, she has been involved in the credit union industry for more than 20 years and a professional speaker and trainer for 15 of those years – also working for a $1.6 billion credit union in Atlanta, Georgia, and working as a consultant and trainer with Rex Johnson of Lending Solutions Consulting.
Celeste’s expert training programs/schools in lending, marketing/business development, leadership, and sales and service for credit unions have helped credit unions with assets ranging from $20 million to $2 billion. She brings her credit union expertise, experience, and proven strategies, which have fostered her credit union clients’ increases in loan growth and profitability. For instance, one credit union experienced 33% loan growth in 12 months using cuStrategies’ lending strategies. Celeste also increased loans by 215% in nine months through SEGs during her tenure in Business Development at MAX Credit Union in Montgomery, Alabama.
Celeste has a degree in business management and a Certification in Sales Leadership Strategies through the Credit Union National Association. She has been a contributor to industry publications such as CUinsight, Credit Union Executive Society, Credit Union Times, and Credit Union Journal as well as Branch Managers Letter, a national publication. Celeste is also writing a book on leadership and service.

Rich Fox

Rich Fox

Rich Fox has an extensive background that includes 25 years of operations and technology roles that span product management, application development, contact center leadership, technology infrastructure, and voice communications.

Rich has led enterprise-wide technology transformation projects, implemented workforce management systems, and served as the strategist for a contact center that handled 15M outbound and 22M inbound calls annually across 2,500 agents including multiple outsourced partners around the world.

Rich has been on both sides of the fence –leading contact centers and also being responsible for the enabling technology. His passion is helping organizations to leverage new technologies that generate significant business value.

Julie Schippers

Julie Schippers

Julie Schippers brings more than 25 years of customer service expertise to her role as assistant vice president at Altra Federal Credit Union, a Wisconsin-based institution with $1B in assets. Julie actively manages the credit union’s full service, multi-channel contact center, leading and equipping a team of 31 agents to not only meet member expectations with every interaction (more than 260,000 annually), but also delight them with personalized service. Julie began her 12-year career in the financial services industry at Wells Fargo Bank. Prior to that time, she owned and operated an eating establishment for 11 years. Julie earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and an MBA from Viterbo University.