6th ANNUAL SUMMIT
FOR THE CREDIT UNION INDUSTRY

#UIS2023

BUILDING RESILIENCY THROUGH SUSTAINABLE ACTIONS

REGISTER TO ATTEND IN-PERSON
REGISTER TO ATTEND VIRTUALLY

Co-hosted by

Join Us
THURSDAY
30 NOV
08:00 – 17:30
RSVP by Nov 21
Washington, DC time

Attend In-Person or Virtually

Organization of American States (OAS) Main Building

17th St. & Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC

Pre-Conference Activities & Reception

Wednesday 29 NOV
16:00-19:00

17th St. & Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC

Speakers Include:

Keynote:
Dr. Pushpam Kumar, Chief Environmental Economist and
Senior Economic Advisor, UN Environment Programme

Credit union global sustainability champions and more!

Panel Discussions

Innovative Idea-Sharing

Research Findings

With community focus, credit unions are taking collective action against climate change* and socio-economic inequalities. Their impact has defined a movement. Join the conversation at the United in Sustainability (UIS) Summit on achieving operational efficiencies and growth, while making a positive difference in society.

LEARN how to incorporate values-based Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) into your strategy and reporting.

OBTAIN resources and insight on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) programs, green products/services, and the clean energy transition.

CONNECT with global experts and peers on best practices in climate risk mitigation.

More than 300 attendees last year engaged in dynamic conversations .

The United in Sustainability Summit

The annual United in Sustainability (UIS) Summit was established in 2018. It serves as a platform for credit unions and industry thought leaders to share information, tools and resources related to sustainability, diversity and corporate social responsibility.

2022 UIS Summit

The 5th Annual UIS Credit Union Summit was held on Monday 14 November 2022 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. Learn how to start or advance your credit union’s sustainability journey and how to combat climate change and socio-economic disparity.

Watch on YouTube

2021 UIS Summit

The 4th annual summit with topics including Impact Investing for Economic and Social Good, Updates from COP26, Bringing New Green Products and Services to Market and Beyond Diversity – the Impact of Business Resources Groups on Staff Development and Employee Retention, and more!

Watch on YouTube

2020 UIS Summit

A credit union focused summit, with amazing content including Growing CU Impact Through Sustainable Investments, How DEI Contributes to Organizational Effectiveness, Greening your Facilities: Lessons from the United Nations and Best Practices: Accelerating Your Sustainability Journey!

Watch on YouTube

Spread the word. Join the movement!

Have questions? Contact  info@uisnetwork.org

United in Sustainability is committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

PROGRAM AGENDA

Pre-events onsite, 29 November

16:00 ET

(Meet at OAS Main Building)
OAS Historic Building and Museum Tour

17:30 ET

(Main Floor)
Cocktail Reception (register via Eventbrite)

18:00 ET

Welcoming remarks and UIS Summit preview

Spotlight – Opportunities for Credit Unions: update on the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund/Inflation Reduction Act with Jon Jeffreys, President, Callahan & Associates, Washington, DC

18:25 ET

Networking

19:00 ET

Reception concludes

UIS Summit, 30 November

08:00 ET

(2nd Floor Balcony)
Breakfast and setting the scene for the Summit (2nd floor balcony)

08:08 ET

Welcome by Tom Kurian, FVP, Enterprise Information Security, UNFCU, and Program Manager Global Sustainability Program

08:10 ET

Climate Reality on the climate crisis, legislative wins, and the path forward

08:30 ET

(Main Conference Room)
Opening comments: Making Sustainability a Strategic Priority Across Your Organization with Yma Gordon, VP, CSR & Impact, UNFCU, Executive Director, UNFCU Foundation

08:40 ET

Spotlight from Filene Research Institute on Differentiating on Purpose: The Credit Union Value Proposition, with Taylor C. Nelms, PhD., Senior Director, Market Insights & Advisory Services

09:05 ET

Panel of experts: From Climate Resiliency and Adaptation Strategies to Introducing Green Products and Growing Social Purpose: 2024 Trends in Sustainability with Jean Pogge, Global Alliance for Banking on Values, Regional Representative for North America; Worku Gachou, Head of North America Inclusive Impact & Sustainability, Visa, Inc.; Garrett Jones, Senior Director, Corporate Sustainability, Delphi Group, British Columbia, Canada; Sofia Villarreal, Program Manager, Global Sustainability Program, UNFCU; Monica Belz, President/CEO, Kauai Government Employees Federal Credit Union FCU, Hawaii; moderated by Malinda Salter, VP of Sustainability, North Carolina State Employees Credit Union, NCSECU

09:55 ET

Presentation: Executing Sustainable Finance Opportunities: A Guide for Credit Unions, with Jim Scott, CFA, Senior Advisor, Financial Institutions, Ceres

10:20 ET

Keynote: Making Nature Count in Banking and Finance, with Dr. Pushpam Kumar, Chief Environmental Economist and Senior Economic Advisor, UN Environment Programme, UNEP

10:45 ET

Networking break

11:00 ET

Panel discussion: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging: Fad or Here to Stay with a message from Renée Sattiewhite, President and CEO, the African-American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC); and panelists Miguel Polanco, Director of the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion, National Credit Union Administration, NCUA, Washington, DC; Ashley Riker, VP, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Hudson Valley Credit Union, New York; Ayris T. Scales, SVP, Social Responsibility & Global Initiatives National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, NAREIT, Washington, DC; moderated by Samira Salem, VP, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, PhD., Credit Union National Association, CUNA

12:00 ET

Spotlight direct from the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 28) in Dubai with Susan Gardner, Director, Ecosystems Division, UNEP

12:05 ET

United Nations Association of the United States of America’s (UNA-USA) just released American Youth Priorities Report with Rachel McCave, Senior Associate, Youth Engagement

12:15 ET

Case studies: Credit Unions Taking Positive Action for Migrant Communities, with an introduction from Jon Hoisaeter, Deputy Representative, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Washington, DC; and panelists Natasha Rivers, PhD., Sr. Program Manager of Sustainability & Measurement at BECU, Washington State; Shaida Samimi, Financial Wellness Partner, Patelco FCU, California; Mahnaz Akbari, Project Manager, Afghan Allies Program, PenFed, Virginia; moderated by Jennifer Esperanza, PhD., Coopera Consulting, Iowa

13:05 ET

In-person attendees: Lunchtime Roundtables with Experts (select your topic during onsite registration):
1. Measuring and mitigating your credit union’s climate risk
2. Credit union foundations serving community needs
3. Keys to engaging your Employee/Business Resource Groups (ERGs/BRGs) and CSR champion volunteers
4. What are your sustainability challenges? We have answers!
5. Learning the sustainability language
6. Telling your Corporate Social Responsibility story internally and externally
7. The business case for sustainability
8. Greening your credit union with operational efficiencies, including reducing plastics, and insights from NGO Beyond Plastics on recent US legislation and global actions to reduce plastics
9. Spotlight on green power and how the US EPA Green Power Partnership can support your sustainability journey with the US Environmental Protection Agency
10. International credit unions leading with purpose

13:55 ET

Presentation: Insight from the Fenasbac Institute on Brazil’s financial cooperative Innovation & Purpose Awards with stories from this year’s winners; moderated by Carolina Castro, Program Manager, Fenasbac Institute, Brazil, and Brazilian Innovation & 2023 RECIP/Innovation & Purpose Award winners

14:25 ET

Select your track:
• Starting your sustainability journey with basic emissions accounting and a road map for next steps on implementation with Ty Colman, Co-Founder, CRO, Optera Consulting, Colorado; and a case study by Paul Herendeen, Director of Impact Market Development, Clearwater Credit Union, Missoula, Montana

• How Credit Unions Can Tackle Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and Climate Risk in 2024 with Kimberly Kosmenko, Co-Founder and Co-President Futurepath ESG, and Manisha Paralikar, Co-Founder and Co-President, Futurepath ESG, Colorado

15:05 ET

Fireside chat: It’s in our DNA. How community commitment and social purpose accelerate growth and impact – insights from around the world with Coro Strandberg, Chair and Co-Founder, Canadian Purpose Economy Project, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada; Maureen Young, VP, Social Purpose, Coast Capital, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada; David McAuley, CEO, Donore Credit Union Ltd., Dublin, Ireland, and David McDonnell, CEO, Naomh Breandan Credit Union, Galway, Ireland; moderated by Thom Belekevich, Director of Member Services, World Council of Credit Unions, WOCCU

15:55 ET

Networking break

16:05 ET

Panel discussion: The Clean Energy Transition in Conversation with Maurice Smith, former Chairman, African-American Credit Union Coalition, and former CEO, Local Government FCU and CIVIC FCU, North Carolina; Ilmi Granoff, Esq., Senior Fellow at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, and non-executive Director of Carbon Tracker Initiative, Inc.; Alan Miller, Climate Finance & Policy Specialist, former Projects Officer, International Finance Corporation/World Bank Group, Washington, DC; moderated by Neda Arabshahi, VP, Center for Climate Resiliency & Excellence, Inclusiv, New York

16:45 ET

Case studies: Expanding Financial Inclusion through Best Practices in Sustainability with Barbara Mojica, Executive Director at the National Latino Association of Credit Union Professionals, NLCUP; Gary Officer, President and CEO, Workforce Inclusion, Washington, DC; Libby Snipe, VP of Marketing Community Impact at Arlington Community Federal Credit Union, moderated by John Bratsakis, President/CEO, MD/DC Credit Union Association

17:20 ET

Concluding comments

Prasad Surapaneni, SVP and Chief Information Officer, UNFCU, and Co-Executive Sponsor, Global Sustainability Program; and Carlos Calderon, President/CEO, OAS FCU

17:30 ET

Summit ends