The Network & Nachos event held on June 9-10 at the Zest AI headquarters brought together leaders from 12 networks across California and Nevada for an intimate gathering focused on leadership practices and fintech innovation. The event provided a platform for participants to learn from each other’s experiences in organizing events and explore innovative approaches to challenges in the credit union industry.
Friday night’s session kicked off with a thought-provoking discussion led by Patti Mancini, SVP of People Ops at Zest AI, on coaching teams. Mancini emphasized the importance of building trust and creating personal connections to motivate teams, inspiring leaders to adopt a vulnerable and authentic leadership style.
On Saturday, participants engaged in an insightful review of the events they had organized since November 2022. They shared their successes, challenges, and lessons learned, while also asking questions and seeking advice on how to improve future events within their networks. The focus then shifted to fintech, with discussions led by industry experts including Ron Kamler from Alliance Reverse Mortgage, Sameer Kapur from Glide, Josie Kalbaklian from FTSI, and Jen Gaden from Zest AI. These discussions explored how fintech companies are approaching problems in the credit union industry and finding innovative solutions through different perspectives.
In a small group setting, participants dove deep into discussions on how their credit unions are preparing for a potential economic downturn. These conversations allowed for valuable insights and the sharing of best practices among attendees.
“This event was fantastic. At REACH we don’t have this kind of dedicated time for speed dating, getting to know other networks etc. This was a great time talking about leadership, getting to know each other and network with FinTechs,” said Ariana Balch, UNCLE CU.
The Network & Nachos event was such a success that the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues plan to repeat this annual meeting in late Spring each year. Participants are encouraged to consider this future event in their budgets and planning. Zest AI’s exceptional hosting and partnership were vital to the success of the event.
