And the 2020 CUES Emerging Leader Winner Is…
CU Today
MADISON, Wis. – Lindsey Walker, executive assistant with Tampa Bay FCU in Florida, has been named the 2020 CUES Emerging Leader.
According to CUES, as one of five finalists, Walker’s route to the podium began via her acceptance to the first CUES Emerge cohort. Upon completion of the education phase, her submitted business case was reviewed by a team of judges, placing her in the Top 5. On Sept. 16, it culminated in Walker and the four other finalists presenting their business cases during an online pitch show, hosted by Tim McAlpine of Currency.
Walker’s business case addressed the need to reduce linguistic barriers through a Hispanic Outreach Program. Due to the large influx of immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries in her area, Walker outlined a program to provide marketing collateral and documentation in Spanish.
Runners-up included James Hunter, executive director of New Orleans Fireman’s FCU, and Paul Hinrichsen, product manager of GTE Financial in Tampa Bay, Fla. Walker and each of the runners-up will receive an education and coaching package including registration to the CUES School of Applied Strategic Management. Walker will also receive an all-expense paid trip to CUES’ CEO/Executive Team Network in Austin, Texas, set for May 16-18, 2021.
‘A Difficult Decision’
Others finishing in the top five were Eric Christiansen, lending manager with Dane Country CU in Madison, Wis., and Katie Luther, mortgage servicing supervisor with Royal CU in Eau Claire, Wis.
“With this being our first year of CUES Emerge, we were thrilled with the cohort of emerging leaders that applied themselves fully, despite working through a pandemic,” said John Pembroke, CUES president/CEO. “The dedication shown by these leaders to learn and apply that learning in their business cases was outstanding. Our judging panel had a difficult decision to make when choosing not only our finalists, but also the winners. The energy and excitement shown by our educational cohort made us realize how CUES is able to support emerging leaders in new and innovative ways.”
The pitch show recording can be viewed at CUESEmerge.com, where there is also more information on the 2021 application process.