And the judges are...

There may be a lot of speculation swirling around about who will be the judges on American Idol this coming season, but we know the even bigger question is, "Who will be the Next Credit Union Exec judges?"

Without further ado, your judges are...

Sean Gammon, president/CEO, Members Advantage Community Credit Union, Bradley Harvey, president/CEO, Horizons North Credit Union; Kevin Lytle, VP/Marketing/Public Relations, WesCorp Federal Credit Union; and Michael Wark, president/CEO, Valley Credit Union. Each judge is a CUES Council officer.

Judges are responsible for staying current on the projects each of the six Finalists are reporting on at NextTopCreditUnionExec.com, and for viewing the final presentations with a critical eye towards the criteria of creative thinking, content/idea, and style. Each Finalist will have 10 minutes to recap their project in a presentation face-off at CUES' CEO/Executive Team Network™ in Dallas, November 7–10, 2010.

According to New England CUES Council officer and judge Sean Gammon, “The six finalists are truly outstanding. They all have very bright futures in the credit union movement. I find it inspiring to see their enthusiasm, great ideas, and overall focus on their projects.

“It’s very easy to keep up with their individual projects. I prefer watching the videos myself, mostly due to the creative nature they display and the chance to really feel the passion they each bring to their projects. The blogs are also an excellent way to get updated and often learn more detailed information on their status. I’m looking forward to seeing all six present their ideas in November.”

The judging panel is just one of the ways the Finalists’ presentations will be judged. Audience members will be able to vote on-the-spot for their favorite, and the public can vote online on November 9. The Finalist with the highest score based on audience and online votes, as well as the judging panel results, will earn the title of Next Top Credit Union Exec.

All judges agree: determining the winner won’t be easy. “The six finalists represent the best of the credit union movement; enthusiasm, innovative thinking, and commitment to their credit union. Selecting only one as the Next Top Credit Union Exec will be difficult indeed,” predicts Southern California/Arizona CUES Council officer and judge Kevin Lytle.

The CUES Team