 Twenty-nine of the credit union industry’s most innovative leaders come together to form the newest cohort of the Filene i3 Program. In its 20th year, the prestigious program experiences heightened demand and intensified competition, as an increasing multitude of exceptional credit union professionals submit their applications every year. Filene i3 is a two-year innovation leadership program equipping top credit union professionals with the mindset, tools, and network to lead and shape the credit union of the 21st Century.
“Through the i3 program, we're crafting a hub of innovation where emerging credit union leaders converge to solve pressing challenges with tomorrow's solutions,” stated Megan Freshour, Filene’s Incubation Director. “Leveraging Filene's comprehensive research and a network of passionate innovators, our participants are equipped to drive transformative change. As they forge ahead, creating prototypes and piloting initiatives, they're not just participants—they're pioneers shaping the future of financial services for communities nationwide.” Joining the ranks of 355 credit union leaders already within the Filene i3 community are:
Through this cohort-based program, participants learn cutting-edge innovation competencies grounded in three core categories. By engaging the diverse perspectives of members, staff, stakeholders, and subject-matter experts to co-create new solutions, participants learn skills essential for facilitating innovation. Through the process of exploring and iterating new ideas to gain insight, reduce risk, and validate solutions, participants become experienced at accelerating learning. Finally, mobilizing people and resources to inspire action is practiced for leading change. “As a credit union intern nearly two decades ago, my mentor would often hand me Filene publications, each highlighted and noted with her takeaways from the readings,” said Ryan Pederson, Senior Software Engineer Manager at Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union. “I was captivated by the depth of knowledge and innovative ideas shared within those pages. The highlight of my year was always the unveiling of new concepts by i3 participants, ideas that promised to enhance our cooperative movement. Now, I find myself both humbled and honored to join the ranks of these innovators as an i3 member. I am eager to build upon the legacy of innovation that has been a hallmark of the i3 program, contributing my own ideas to help propel the credit union movement forward.” Participants create impact through their work in cross-functional teams to explore and address some of credit unions’ most pressing challenges as identified by Filene's Think Tank and backed by research from Filene's Centers of Excellence. View the findings from last year's i3 teams on five complex challenges facing credit unions. Patricia Tomanguilla, Director of Consumer Lending Systems at University of Wisconsin Credit Union stated, “It’s not just about being selected—it’s about being part of a community dedicated to making a real difference in the credit union industry. It’s a platform where like-minded professionals come together to collaborate, share knowledge, and tackle challenges head-on. I'm excited about the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally, to lead initiatives, and to be part of something bigger than myself.” The new i3 cohort begins a two-year development journey following Filene’s GAC Breakfast next week, and will present progress-to-date to the credit union industry at Filene’s big.bright.minds. in November. Join us on 3/26 (part one) and 3/28 (part two) where i3 graduates from waves 18 and 19 will share their prototypes that they’ve been building and testing to address the biggest challenges facing credit unions and their members. Registration coming soon at filene.org/events.
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