**RECORDING COMING SOON**

Thank  you for joining us for our June CTC Friday Conversation: "Embracing DEI - Celebrating Pride Month."

As we step into June, we are excited to celebrate Pride Month, a time dedicated to honoring the history, achievements, and contributions of the LGBTQ+ community. At AACUC, we believe in the power of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as cornerstones of our culture and values. 

Pride Month offers us an opportunity to reflect on the progress made toward equality, acknowledge the challenges that remain, and reaffirm our commitment to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and respected. 

Thank you for joining us in embracing DEI this month by engaging in this meaningful conversation and showing your support for the LGBTQ+ community. Together, we can create a more inclusive and equitable world for all. 

Our esteemed panelists were:

• Damian Alarcon, Director of Government Relations & Social Impact, Travis Credit Union
• Zach Christensen, Director, Mitchell Stankovic & Associates & Executive Director, CU Pride
• Jim Morrell, CEO, Peninsula Credit Union 
• Deborah A. Wege, Cooperative Community Advocate, BECU

Ari Farrell, World Young Credit Union Professional's Program Manager for the Worldwide Foundation of Credit Unions moderated this conversation.

Keep reading to learn more about our panelists and moderator.

Damian Alarcon
Director of Government Relations & Social Impact
Travis Credit Union

As Travis Credit Union's Director of Government Relations and Social Impact, while also serving as President of the Travis Credit Union Foundation, Damian Alarcon, is engaged daily in strategically serving TCU by aligning corporate responsibility to community-focused strategic wellness initiatives.

He is known to create effective relationships with external stakeholders, strategic partners, and cross-functional groups to build a more diverse pipeline and advance equity and inclusion at the Travis Credit Union.

Damian has devised and guided the development of an all-community outreach strategy, as well as strategic partnerships with public, private, and nonprofit organizations to expand the DEI strategy and plan to improve community relations. The outcomes of these efforts include financial education accessible to everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status or ethnic background.

Zach Christensen
Director, Mitchell Stankovic & Associates
Executive Director, CU Pride

Zach Christensen (he/him/his) is the director of communications and digital marketing at Mitchell Stankovic & Associates driving change in leadership, strategic planning, and modernizing board governance. He earned his CUDE designation, October 2020 – Best Class Ever, and has over 15 years of experience within the credit union industry in business development, client relationships, market awareness and consumer service.

Zach’s volunteer work includes several advisory and leadership roles: Co-founder and executive director of CU Pride, the World Council of Credit Union's premier programs, Global Women’s Leadership Network and World Young Credit Union Professionals. He is a governing board member of the CU DEI Collective representing CU Pride and chairs the communications committee for the Via Stella Foundation providing relief to Ukrainian refugees in Poland through direct credit union support. He is also an advocate and strategic leader for the Underground, a community of industry thought leaders and strategic influencers.

Jim Morrell
CEO
Peninsula Credit Union

Jim Morrell has served credit unions for 30 years and as CEO at Peninsula Credit Union for 12 years. He and his team focus to promote financial well-being for households at or around a survival budget.

For credit unions he is a fierce advocate and serves on America’s Credit Union's Board of Directors. Locally, Jim is involved with organizations that build up organizations serving segments of his community.

Jim holds his I-CUDE with certifications in the United States and Africa. Jim enjoys traveling with his husband Chris, parenting their two 4-legged kids, sharing great Northwest wines, and boating.

Deborah A Wege, CUDE, I-CUDE
Cooperative Community Advocate
BECU

As a professional in the Credit Union movement for over 40 years, Debbie and has extensive experience regarding the unique role and purpose of credit unions and cooperatives. As the Cooperative Community Advocate for BECU, she develops and implements programs that ignite passion and connection to principles and purpose around decision-making and serving members. She is a certified CU Development Educator (CUDE) since 1993, an International CUDE since 2010. Debbie currently serves President of the CUDE Action Network of the GoWest Region Executive Committee, as chair of the board of the Northwest Cooperative Development Center, and an elected member of the National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International Board. Debbie has a passion for local and inclusive economies, and has been a long term supporter and board member of the Seattle Good Business Network.

Ari Farrell
World Young Credit Union Professional's Program Manager
Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions

Ari Farrell is the World Young Credit Union Professional’s (WYCUP) Program Manager with the Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions and has over 17 years experience in customer service and 10 years in the credit union industry-- having started their career in the phone contact center. Farrell attended university with a focus on psychology, teaching and fine art. Served on the Board of Directors for several grassroots community organizations and credit union chapters, and a credit union advocate. Farrell has been invited to or selected to participate in several ideation and innovation groups: NWCUA (GoWest) 2019 YP Lead, 2020 DDJ Meyers Emerging Leaders Program Scholarship recipient and graduate. Change Leaders, Farrell graduated from professional leadership programs offered by the AACUC including a BoardReady training, DEI Leadership Academy- DEI For Financial Professionals program, as well as a graduate and participant in the Cross-Cultural Exchange Program. Cooperative Trust CRASH the GAC- 2022, consultant and supporter of CU Pride, Mentor for CRASH the GAC 2023, supporter and contributor for the CCCU Youth Successor program. Farrell has focused their voice on social issues and serving the underserved. Farrell through their position as WYCUP Program Manager will continue to provide pathways to reduce gaps in the advancement of credit union growth and universal access to financial inclusion. WYCUP aims to build a community of 10k members strong while creating safe spaces to Connect, Discover and Grow through the three core engagement spaces- Scholarships, Network, and Events- to Bridge the Leadership Gap.