‘Youthful Veteran’ Tapped to Lead WYCUP, Global DE Programs for Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions

Kassandra Schroeder

A young professional with more than a decade's worth of experience at World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) is bringing both a vast amount of knowledge and a fresh perspective to Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions (WFCU), which on Tuesday officially named Kassandra Schroeder as the new Director of its WYCUP and Global DE initiatives.

The World Young Credit Union Professionals (WYCUP) program serves as a global connector for young industry leaders, offering an annual scholarship that provides valuable engagement and educational opportunities at the annual World Credit Union Conference and other WOCCU international events.

​The Global Credit Union Development Education (Global DE) program is designed to provide credit union employees and volunteers with greater information about and access to the International Credit Union Development Educator Designation (ICUDE), which is available to DE Program Alumni who meet a certain level of international experience.
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Schroeder, who obtained her own CUDE designation in 2024, takes over both initiatives after serving in various roles with WOCCU’s Meetings and Events’ team. She started as a registration assistant at the 2015 World Credit Union Conference and has since managed dozens of events for both WOCCU and WFCU.

She received a 2018 scholarship to become a PCMA certified Digital Experience Strategist, which served her well in leading WOCCU and WFCU to pivot to virtual engagements during the COVID-19 pandemic. Schroeder eventually assumed the role of Virtual Engagements and Special Events Manager, spearheading the launch of a permanent virtual platform to expand programming for both WOCCU and WFCU. Thanks to her efforts, education and networking opportunities for WOCCU’s global audience are more accessible than ever before.

“Everyone in the WOCCU family knows what a reliable, hard-working and innovative employee Kassi is, and how valuable she has been to the World Credit Union Conference and other in-person and virtual engagements over the years. She brings a very rare combination of youth and experience to this role and has already shown initiative in wanting to take both WYCUP and Global DE to the next level. We are incredibly lucky to have her,” said Mike Reuter, President of Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions.

Schroeder is a 2014 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and got her start in international programming as an intern at the UW International Learning Community and the UW Language Institute. She is also a member of ASAE, the Center for Association Leadership.

“As someone who has been a part of developing and hosting the last 10 World Credit Union Conferences, I can tell you that I love working with the dedicated professionals who choose to move beyond the borders of their own countries to advance our global movement. Both WYCUPers and Global DE professionals have a specific level of enthusiasm that is infectious. I cannot wait to serve these programs with the same level of passion that their members have always demonstrated, and to begin working to provide them with even bigger and better opportunities,” said Schroeder.

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