Sarah has more than 20 years of experience in the credit union community, more recently as publisher and editor-in-chief of Credit Union Times, leading the publication to two consecutive years of record revenue, profits and readership. She also serves as Vice Chair at $632M APL FCU and founding co-chair of the Capital Region Sister Society of WOCCU’s Global Women’s Leadership Network.

Sarah holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Arts in political science with a minor in journalism. 

Folio Top Women in Media, 2015
ALM Media’s Manager of the Year, 2015

Renée Sattiewhite is the President and CEO of the African-American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC) and is responsible for the execution of the strategic vision of the Board of Directors. With over 30 years in the world of finance, she started her career as a Teller Trainee for City National Bank in Beverly Hills, California. She quickly moved up the ranks with various positions including Bank Officer.

She has been associated with credit unions for over 25 years and was the first Internship Program Director for the AACUC. Renee’s background is in training and marketing, specializing in Customer Service, Effective Communication, Board Development, Team Building and Strategic Planning.
Renée is a former Instructor for Spelman College’s Continuing Education Department, a Facilitator for United Way of Greater Atlanta’s VIP Board Development Program and a graduate of Oglethorpe University with a B.A. in Communications. She is credited for giving organizations a “new look” in the areas of customer satisfaction, employee relations, and marketing materials.

She is a certified diversity professional, a credit union development educator, motivational speaker, an executive coach, mentoring trainer, and assists organizations with marketing campaigns.

Renee is also a proud Board Member of the World Council of Credit Unions Foundation and a Master Trainer for the United Way of Atlanta's VIP Board Development Program.

Alison currently serves as Chief Strategy Officer for Your Credit Union Partner. In this capacity she supports: Community Development & Outreach Initiatives, Business Development, Speaking/Training Engagements, Strategic Partnerships and serves as a general Goodwill Ambassador for Your Credit Union Partner.

Ms. Carr’s experience includes work at the State and National Trade Association level, as well as natural person credit unions ranging is assets from $50 million to $500 million, working in areas of Business Development/Marketing, Community Development, and Human Resources & Training. Most recently she served as Membership and Outreach Officer for the National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions. Previously, Alison served as the Director of Learning Events for the Credit Union National Association, Madison, Wisconsin. Prior to joining CUNA, Ms. Carr was the Vice President of Corporate Development for Point West Credit Union in Portland, OR. While at Point West she provided oversight to the credit union's human resources and training functions, including employee recruitment, compensation, and employee relations, with an emphasis on staff training & development and strategic planning. Through the credit union, she was actively involved with community outreach, developing partnerships with special emphasis on Hispanic and financial literacy initiatives. 

Prior to working for Point West Credit Union, Alison was the Director of Education & Training for six years for the Credit Union Association of Oregon. She also served on the board of CUWA, a Portland-based credit union professional organization, and on the statewide steering committee for the Oregon Chapter of the National Jump$tart Coalition.

Abby Churchill (she/her) is a product management consultant with CUNA Mutual Group and an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School. She is also the founding director of Trans Law Help Wisconsin, a pro bono legal project dedicated to providing legal information and resources to transgender and nonbinary individuals across the state of Wisconsin and beyond. Through her work with Trans Law Help Wisconsin, she has been hosting quarterly name and gender marker change clinics around Wisconsin (and now virtually) since 2016. She has provided a wide variety of trainings generally focused on the unique legal issues impacting transgender and nonbinary communities to many different types of audiences, including lawyers, law firm staff, conference attendees, executives, students, healthcare professionals, community members, and more. In her work with CUNA Mutual Group, Abby hosts frequent LGBTQ+ inclusion trainings for internal teams and credit unions alike, and as a member of the LGBTQ+ employee resource group’s leadership team, she often consults with various business areas on opportunities for the business to continue to include and engage transgender and nonbinary communities across the country. 

Abby is a “double Badger,” having graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison for both her undergraduate and graduate studies. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Gender and Women’s Studies and Sociology in 2009, then served two years with the Americorps VISTA program. After Americorps, Abby worked as a paraprofessional in an elementary school in Colorado, then started her law school career at Golden Gate University in San Francisco. Between her first and second year in law school, she transferred to the University of Wisconsin Law School and graduated with her Juris Doctorate in 2015. 

In 2018, Abby was awarded the Legal Innovators Award from the State Bar of Wisconsin and was an ATHENA Young Professional Award nominee. She is a co-author in the State Bar of Wisconsin publication, Changing Times, Changing Law: LGBTQ Issues, has presented for a State Bar seminar and webcast, and has written several articles for Our Lives magazine.

Zach Christensen (he/him/his) is an executive leader with both strategic and technical skills. As a digital marketer, video and virtual engagement producer and credit union fanatic, he has quickly shifted to a virtual environment ensuring execution of initiatives for both his organization and clients. He is the director of diversity, equity and inclusion & digital services at Mitchell Stankovic & Associates driving change in leadership, DEI and strategic planning in this new world. Zach’s volunteer work includes several advisory and leadership roles: Co-founder and director of CU Pride, the first and only industry-wide LGBTQ+ association for credit union professionals for education and engagement within the community. The World Council of Credit Unions premier programs, Global Women’s Leadership Network and World Young Credit Union Professionals.

Jill Nowacki started her career with credit unions in 2001. She has taken on leadership roles at credit unions and state and national trade associations, including serving as the President/CEO of the Credit Union League of Connecticut. In 2019, Jill founded Humanidei, a people operations firm that helps credit unions build inclusive cultures that attract, develop, and retain top talent—from the front line through the Board of Directors. 

By strategically addressing the value of human capital, credit unions can create environments where people bring their best, authentic selves to work; resulting in diversity in thought, increased innovation, stronger succession planning, and ultimately: Relevant, growing credit unions that expand the economic capacity of the members and communities they serve.  

Throughout her career, Jill has worked with credit union leadership across the country to introduce business and human capital strategies that lead to growth. She is a sought-after speaker and thought leader on the topics of leadership, diversity, and strategic planning. 

Jill holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Montana and a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Public Relations from Carroll College (Helena, Montana). She is a certified International Credit Union Development Educator, a Certified Association Executive (CAE), and a Certified Diversity Executive (CDE). 

Opal joined CUNA Mutual Group in 2014. She brings more than 18 years of professional experience in training, optimization, organizational development, and business leadership in roles at SITEL, Dean Health, and American Family Insurance. Her current role as Director of the Multicultural Center of Expertise (MCOE) is dedicated to leading and advancing the efforts of the MCOE team. The MCOE exists to help CUNA Mutual Group understand multicultural consumers, identify business opportunities, develop action plans, and execute those plans to serve more customers and generate substantial business growth.

Opal received her bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and a Master of Science in Organizational Development from Edgewood College. In 2020 she was named as one of Wisconsin’s 51 most influential Black Leaders by Madison365 Media.

Ed Hasan is the CEO of Kaizen Human Capital, an evidence-based organizational development, coaching, and training firm. Additionally, he is an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University and a Subject Matter Expert and Instructor for the Society for Human Resource Management. He is a frequent speaker on workplace diversity and inclusion, culture, and leadership. 

Dr. Ed was recognized as one of George Mason University’s Prominent Patriots in Business, exemplifying his engagement as a well-rounded scholar and a person prepared to act through innovation. He was a recipient of Georgetown University’s Outstanding Faculty Award, which recognized him as a consummate professor and a role model for inclusive excellence. 

Dr. Ed received a doctoral degree in education from the University of Southern California, where his research focus was religious inclusion in the workplace. He received his MBA from the University of Scranton and a BS in Decision Sciences & Management Information Systems from George Mason University. He is a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), holds the SHRM Inclusive Workplace Specialty Credential, and is a Certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).

Sheila Milton is an accomplished Human Resource leader who develops innovative solutions that align culture and business objectives to build strong pipelines of diverse talent. In her current role as Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) with UW Credit Union, Milton serves as an institutional resource focused on infusing DEI into all practices. Key responsibilities include promoting a culture of inclusion where all individuals can thrive, as well as partnering with senior leaders to implement DEI best practices in areas such as leadership, access, retention and advancement.

Milton came to UW Credit Union from CUNA Mutual Group (CMG) where she served as the director of Talent Management. During her time at CMG, she created the Women’s Executive Leadership Institute and implemented a contemporary Learning Management System. Milton has also held Associate Director Human Resources positions at Kraft Heinz and Oscar Mayer.

Milton served as a committee member to the Forum on Workplace Inclusion Program, a national conference that drives strategies for advancing diversity and inclusion in the workplace. She has also served on the Madison Area Diversity Roundtable Executive Steering Committee and as Best Practice Chair and frequently addresses the topic of DEI via ongoing industry events and speaking opportunities.

Samira has nearly 20 years of experience in international economic development, community development, policy research, and social finance.  She joined the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) in 2018 as a Senior Policy Analyst in the Research and Policy Analysis division.  Prior to joining CUNA, she worked for Forward Community Investments (FCI), a Madison-based community development financial institution (CDFI) that serves communities throughout Wisconsin.

Earlier, Samira worked at the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington D.C. where she was a Senior Trade Analyst for Labor and studied the impact of globalization on U.S. labor market outcomes. Prior to that, she had an eight-year tenure at Washington-based DAI where she was an international economic development specialist.  Samira earned her Ph.D. in Political Economy and Public Policy and her M.A. in Economics from the University of Southern California.

Víctor Miguel Corro is a senior executive with over 25 years of experience working in international and cross-cultural environments in the private and non-profit sectors. For nearly 4 years he has been at the helm of Coopera Consulting, a market analytics and cultural change consulting firm that engages organizations and prepares them to reach out and serve underserved market segments. Corro is co-founder and first Chair of the Credit Union DEI Collective, an expanding group within the credit union movement devoted to furthering DEI, a shared cooperative principle.

Victor is a first-generation immigrant to the US and was born and raised in Panama. He came to study at the University of Wisconsin as a Fulbright Scholar. He has degrees in International Economics and Latin American Studies. He has worked in 90+ countries, is an avid photographer, serves on several boards, and currently lives in Wisconsin with his wife and two children.