​CUES is proud to announce its 2026 award recipients and Hall of Fame inductee, recognizing two accomplished leaders, one exceptional credit union, and a lifetime of service that have strengthened organizations, communities, and the credit union movement. Congratulations to:
 
CUES Outstanding Chief Executive: Chris Harlan, CEO, University of Illinois Community Credit Union
This award recognizes leaders at the CEO level who display professional achievement, support employee motivation, and are dedicated to their community. From 2019 to 2026, Harlan helped University of Illinois Community Credit Union double its assets and grow its membership by more than 35%. His focus on empowering employees helped the credit union earn the Top 25 Best Credit Unions to Work For in America designation for five consecutive years. Harlan also established a partnership program with organizations in the community to bring financial education to employees and families.
 
CUES Distinguished Director: Kenneth Ampy, CCD, Immediate Past Chairman, Virginia Credit Union
The CUES Distinguished Director Award honors a volunteer whose achievements have strengthened their credit union. Ampy provided steady, strategic leadership through periods of significant change, including the challenges following the pandemic and Virginia Credit Union’s recent merger process. Known for sound judgment, integrity, and a collaborative approach, Ampy helped the board remain focused on members, employees, and long-term organizational strength. A graduate of CUES Strategic Growth Institute and CUES Governance Leadership Institute, Ampy has also demonstrated a sustained commitment to learning and effective governance.
 
John Pembroke Catalyst for Change Award: LAFCU
The John Pembroke Catalyst for Change Award recognizes credit unions advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in meaningful, lasting ways. LAFCU has built an inclusive culture grounded in empathy, action, and accountability. Under the leadership of Kelli Ellsworth Etchison, DEI has become an organizational priority reflected in day-to-day interactions, a representative employee committee, thoughtful learning experiences, and multicultural celebrations that have grown from an internal initiative into a community event.
 
CUES Hall of Fame Inductee: Gerry Agnes, Retired CEO of Elevations Credit Union
The CUES Hall of Fame honors lifetime achievement and significant contributions to the credit union movement, including service to one’s organization and industry, community involvement, continuing education, and contributions to CUES. Agnes reflects that standard through a sustained commitment to learning, leadership, and service. Before retiring in February 2026, Agnes served as CEO of Elevations Credit Union for 17 years and was a CUES member for 25 years. His CUES involvement included eight years on the CUES Arizona/Southern California Council Board and six years on the CUES Board.
 
“These honorees exemplify the leadership, courage, and commitment that move the credit union industry forward,” said Brian Cacic, CUES VP/Member Experience. “From delivering meaningful growth and strong governance to creating cultures of belonging and modeling a lifetime of service, their impact reaches far beyond their own organizations. CUES is proud to celebrate their achievements and the example they have set for leaders across the movement.”
 
The CUES Distinguished Director Award and John Pembroke Catalyst for Change Award will be presented at CUES Directors Conference, December 6-9, 2026, San Antonio, Texas.
 
The CUES Outstanding Chief Executive Award and CUES Hall of Fame induction will be honored at CUES Symposium, January 31-February 4, 2027, in Marco Island, Florida, during a newly added Awards & Recognition Luncheon presented by Visa. Visa's sponsorship underscores a shared commitment to recognizing visionary leadership and the individuals shaping the future of the credit union industry.
 
Learn more about CUES Awards at cues.org/Awards. Learn more about CUES at cues.org.

Synergent® has entered into a seven-year renewal agreement with Sebasticook Valley Federal Credit Union for hosted Jack Henry™ Symitar® core processing. The credit union also signed five-year agreements with Synergent for integrated managed solutions including debit card services, statement processing, check processing, check printing, and mobile deposit capture.
 
The renewal continues Sebasticook Valley Federal Credit Union’s relationship with Synergent while keeping its core processing and several key services with one provider. The credit union also works with Synergent across additional areas, including credit card services, marketing services, and core consulting.
 
“Continuing our partnership with Synergent gives us the technology and support we need while allowing our team to stay focused on our members,” said Jim Lemieux, President and CEO of Sebasticook Valley Federal Credit Union. “We value having a partner that understands credit unions, knows our organization, and is committed to supporting us for the long term.”
 
Sebasticook Valley Federal Credit Union’s roots date back to 1953, when employees of Northeast Shoe Company in Pittsfield formed a financial cooperative inside the factory, giving workers a place to save, cash checks, and access loans around their work schedules. More than 70 years later, the credit union serves members and communities across six Maine counties. That commitment includes its long-standing support of the Maine Credit Unions’ Campaign for Ending Hunger, through which the credit union has contributed more than $480,000 to hunger relief.
 
“Sebasticook Valley Federal Credit Union’s history reflects the credit union philosophy of People Helping People, from its beginnings serving local factory employees to its work in communities today,” said Brad Lane, Chief Operations Officer of Synergent. “We value the trust Jim and his team continue to place in Synergent and look forward to supporting them as they serve their members for years to come.”
 
Headquartered in Pittsfield, Maine, Sebasticook Valley Federal Credit Union has 12,023 members and holds more than $186 million in assets. Its field of membership is open to individuals who live, work, worship, or go to school in Franklin, Kennebec, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset, or Waldo County, as well as immediate family members of current members.

America’s Credit Unions and its PAC today announced five political advertising campaigns for House candidates ahead of November’s general election. The bipartisan spend includes new advertisements that will begin running over the next two weeks for the following members:

• Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-1)
• Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX-34)
• Rep. Steve Horsford (D-NV-3)
• Rep. Young Kim (R-CA-40)
•  Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV-1)

​“America’s Credit Unions’ political engagement is rooted in a balanced, bipartisan approach,” said Trey Hawkins, Head of Political Affairs at America’s Credit Unions. “These lawmakers have consistently championed credit union priorities that protect the financial choices of everyday Americans in their districts. In a divided Congress, America’s Credit Unions has an obligation to back candidates who understand the financial needs of Americans and will stand up for lenders back home.”

America’s Credit Unions serves as the unified advocacy voice for the nation’s credit union movement, representing more than 4,000 institutions and the 146 million everyday Americans who rely on member-owned cooperative finance. Powered by grassroots contributions, America’s Credit Unions PAC ranks among the top trade association political action committees in the United States, maintaining a strictly balanced bipartisan profile.

The new advertising campaigns consist of both independent expenditures and coordinated member communications targeting registered voters in credit union member households.

America’s Credit Unions and its PAC previously announced a total $10 million spend in support of over 340 total candidates on the general election ballot, including advertising for Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH-SEN) for U.S. Senate, and U.S. House candidates Reps. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-06), Susie Lee (D-NV-3), Tom Suozzi (D-NY-3), David Valadao (R-CA-22), and North Carolina state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom (R-NC-11).  Through the 2026 primaries, 96% of backed candidates won and advanced to the November general election.

Please visit https://www.americascreditunions.org/advocacy/pac/elections-hub/election  to see all the candidates that America’s Credit Unions is supporting.

​Moov Financial, Inc. (Moov®) today announced Moov Money, a real-time¹ person-to-person payment (P2P) solution built with Visa and Mastercard. Moov Money enables consumers to send and receive money through their existing digital banking experience using only an eligible debit card and a trusted mobile phone connection.

Unlike other P2P services that depend on both parties participating in the same app or solution, Moov Money uses the debit card as the payment destination. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s 2025 Survey and Diary of Consumer Payment Choice2, 90.5% of U.S. consumers carry a debit card, giving participating financial institutions broad reach without requiring recipients to download a new app or create a new account.

No single P2P provider reaches more than 34.6% of U.S. consumers today, according to the same Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta research. Moov Money is designed to create a bridge between various apps and solutions by delivering payments directly to the account associated with an eligible Mastercard or Visa debit card.

“Moving money shouldn’t depend on whether two people use the same app,” said Wade Arnold, CEO of Moov. “Moov Money breaks these restraints, enabling anyone with a debit card to securely pay and get paid. Combining the wide reach of Visa and Mastercard with Moov’s modern payments infrastructure, sophisticated fraud controls and intuitive user experience, we’re making it possible for financial institutions of any size to facilitate a better, easier money movement experience.”

The platform uses Mastercard Move3 and Visa Direct4, with Moov providing the technology that connects the card networks to the P2P experience. That includes connectivity that brings together an eligible recipient’s phone number, contact or eligible payment credential, that populates the payment destination and can remove the need for manual card detail entry. Moov also provides identity verification, fraud controls and dispute management.

“Visa is committed to helping financial institutions provide seamless, secure money movement experiences that consumers can count on,” said Justin Zhao, Head of Visa Direct, North America. “Through our work with Moov, financial institutions can now use trusted Visa credentials and infrastructure to help consumers send and receive money with greater confidence and ease.”

The platform sets a high standard for P2P security. Moov Money combines device intelligence, phone-based identity verification, network-level card validation, passkey authentication, real-time monitoring and sophisticated AI-powered fraud detection tools to help reduce scams and fraud losses for both financial institutions and consumers. Moov manages disputes, fraud monitoring and tier-one support on behalf of participating institutions, saving them significant time and resources.
 
“Today’s consumers expect money movement to be universal, secure and embedded into their existing financial experiences,” said Mike Kresse, EVP, Commercial and New Payments Flows, Mastercard, North America. “The future of person-to-person payments is interoperability. Tapping into the trust and reach of Mastercard Move, together we’re helping financial institutions unlock that future so that the end-user can focus on what matters – seamlessly getting money into hands, when and where it’s needed most.”

Moov Money is available today to banks, credit unions, neobanks and brokerages for domestic person-to-person payments. Financial institutions can enable Moov Money through their existing digital banking experience or integrate directly with Moov. Jack Henry’s Banno Digital Platform is the first to integrate Moov Money, with others soon to follow. Recipients with eligible cards in Mastercard Credential Services or the leading mobile wallets can also use tokenized card credentials to accept a payment without manually entering a card number.

“Community banks and credit unions are built on service, relationships, and trust, and our goal is to help them win by continually meeting their accountholders' evolving needs,” said Jack Henry Chief Technology Officer Ben Metz. “Integrating Moov Money into the Banno Digital Platform enables financial institutions to deliver a modern, fast, and secure P2P payment experience directly under their own trusted brand. It ensures that every time someone sends money to a friend or pays a contractor, that engagement – and the primary relationship – stays with the financial institution.”

​As the Minnesota Lynx begin their playoff run Sunday, Sept. 27, Wings Credit Union is tripling the impact of its Hoops for Hunger program, increasing the credit union’s donation from $20 in the regular season to $60 for every 3-point basket made by the Lynx throughout the playoffs.
 
"At Wings, we look for ways to create community impact through every partnership we have," said Sarah Manes, Wings’ director of philanthropic engagement. "The Lynx have inspired fans all season long, and Hoops for Hunger gives us an opportunity to channel that energy into something meaningful for our neighbors. Tripling our donation for the playoffs is a way to celebrate this incredible team while helping more Minnesota families access the nutritious food they need."
 
Wings’ playoff commitment builds on a successful inaugural season of Hoops for Hunger, a partnership between the credit union, Lynx, and The Food Group. Through the end of the regular season, Lynx players made 406 3-pointers, generating $8,120 in support for The Food Group.
 
The announcement also comes during another standout season for the Lynx, including a historic performance by guard Kayla McBride, who earlier this year set the WNBA record for most 3-pointers made in a single game.
 
"One of the things that makes Minnesota so special is how much people care about one another," said McBride. "Knowing that every 3-pointer we make in the playoffs is helping support families in our community adds another level of meaning to what we're doing on the court.”
 
The Hoops for Hunger program reflects a shared commitment by Wings, the Lynx, and The Food Group to strengthen communities across Minnesota and support families experiencing food insecurity.
 
"With demand for food assistance at an all-time high, The Food Group is grateful to Wings Credit Union for 'tripling down' to fight hunger and share food with those who need it most," said Sophia Lenarz-Coy, The Food Group executive director. "With the support of partners like Wings, we can meet the rising need and help local families keep nutritious, culturally connected food on their tables."
 
For more information about Hoops for Hunger and Wings’ partnership with the Lynx, visit WingsCU.com/Lynx.

Carefull, the financial safety platform built to protect older adults and the families who support them, today announced that Gregory Samanez-Larkin, Ph.D., has joined Carefull as Research Fellow, a scientific leadership role focused on accelerating the application of new behavioral and cognitive science directly into the development of Carefull’s technology.
​
Samanez-Larkin is a Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University and Professor of Marketing at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. For over two decades, his research has examined how motivation, cognition, and the brain influence financial decision-making across the lifespan, with particular focus on aging, financial risk, and vulnerability.

“Financial vulnerability rarely begins with a single transaction,” said Max Goldman, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Carefull. “Changes in behavior, judgment, relationships, and life circumstances can emerge long before a traditional fraud system recognizes a problem. Greg brings decades of scientific research into how people make decisions across their lifespan, and he is working side by side with our team to translate that science into a smarter way to identify and respond to emerging financial risk. Our work with Greg is the first to implement and operationalize these insights so they can make a difference in people’s lives on a day-to-day basis. As Research Fellow, Greg works directly with Carefull’s product, data science, and engineering teams to translate research across psychology, behavioral economics, neuroscience, and consumer finance into practical applications within GreyMatter, Carefull’s AI-powered intelligence engine for understanding behavioral and financial risk.”
​
“My role is essentially to serve as a periscope into the scientific world,”  said Samanez-Larkin, Research Fellow at Carefull. “There is an enormous body of research that can teach us how people make financial decisions and evaluate risk. What is exciting about Carefull is that we can take the most relevant findings and translate them into products and services that can make a difference in people’s lives today.”

“Greg has consistently brought thoughtful insights, data-driven perspectives, and a deep commitment to protecting older adults,” said Ronald Long, a longtime leader in efforts to combat elder financial exploitation. “His addition to Carefull's team is a significant win for the company and for the broader effort to combat elder financial abuse. I have long believed that fintech companies are uniquely positioned to help solve this challenge, and Greg's leadership will help move that vision closer to reality.”

From Detecting Events to Understanding People
Bringing Samanez-Larkin to the team is part of Carefull’s ongoing effort to fundamentally change the pace at which cognitive and behavioral science is applied to older adult financial risk.

Changes in spending, transaction patterns, or financial routines can occur alongside significant life events such as the death of a spouse, relocation, retirement, or other periods of heightened financial and emotional stress. Understanding those changes in context can create opportunities to identify vulnerability sooner and provide support before a mistake, a scam, or other financial event results in significant harm.

“A tremendous amount of effort over the last 10 or 20 years has focused on catching a scam or fraud after it has happened,” Samanez-Larkin said. “But by then, there can already be enormous financial loss. Carefull has shifted to prevention and earlier awareness. We are building models that help us identify changes before they spiral into catastrophic financial and social outcomes.”

This work is rapidly contributing to new areas of signal discovery within GreyMatter. “I believe we are finding signals that no one else has right now,” said Samanez-Larkin. “When you combine scientific expertise with Carefull’s data science and engineering expertise, we are discovering patterns that don’t emerge from a straightforward read of transactions. That combination of disciplines is incredibly powerful.”

The Psychology Beyond the TransactionThe challenge of protecting people financially, particularly as they age, is fundamentally human. Financial decisions are closely connected to independence, identity, judgment, family relationships, and an individual’s sense of purpose.

“Financial decisions touch people’s sense of independence, purpose, and meaning.,” said Samanez-Larkin. “There is a tremendous opportunity to help, and that is exactly what we are doing by focusing on a solution that provides support without creating fear, resistance, or damaging relationships. So much of navigating money management is navigating the psychology beyond the finances.”

Samanez-Larkin will continue working across Carefull’s teams to advance the behavioral science behind GreyMatter, identify new signals of financial vulnerability and push the boundaries of how scientific research can be translated into real-world financial protection. This work means Carefull can catch fraud and scams earlier, protect more families, and intervene faster, all before small warning signs become significant financial harm.

“This is a really rare opportunity for me because I get to be deeply involved in developing the products to protect people,” said Samanez-Larkin. “I’m able to think critically across the entire process with the team and then evaluate in real time whether what we are building is actually working the way we intended. As a scientist, that is exactly how I want to work.”