MADISON, Wis.– Alex Hsu, VP of planning and change management at SchoolsFirst FCU, Santa Ana, Calif., has been named the 2021 CUES Emerge winner.
“As one of five Finalists, Alex’s route to the podium began when he was selected into the CUES Emerge program early in 2021,” CUES said. “From there, participants completed business cases and worked toward their project idea while a team of judges reviewed their proposals. On October 6, it culminated in Alex and the four other finalists presenting their projects live during an online pitch show, hosted by CUES and Tim McAlpine of Currency.”
Two other finalists, Krista Baum, security architect with WSECU in Olympia, Wash., and Daniel Valley, member experience manager with Lake Trust CU in Brighton, Mich., were named as runners-up.
As a result of being named the CUES Emerge winner, Hsu will receive an education and coaching package which includes registration to CUES Advanced Management Certificate Program from Cornell University and executive coaching from Envision Excellence. Each of the runners-up will receive an education and coaching package, including registration to a CUES eCornell certificate course of their choice, the organization said.
The Business Case
Hsu’s business case, titled “Innovation Center of Excellence,” explores ways organizations can evaluate individual pain points holistically, and avoid approaching potential solutions with a silo mentality or an over-reliance on technology vendors, according to CUES.
“Our cohort of emerging leaders applied themselves fully despite continuing to work through a pandemic. The dedication shown by these leaders to apply their learning in their business cases was outstanding,” said CUES President/CEO John Pembroke. “Our judging panel had a difficult decision to make when choosing not only our finalists, but also the winners.”’
Other Finalists
Other finalists taking part in the online pitch show were William Aguilar, assistant manager-contact center with America First CU in Brea, Calif., and Yianni Harbis, manager, branch and commercial banking with Sydney CU in Sydney, Nova Scotia.
CUES said CUES Emerge was created to offer free professional development to the industry’s up-and-coming leaders. Participants who complete the course work and business case earn the Certified Credit Union Manager designation in recognition of their commitment to their career, credit union and the industry.
The finalists’ presentations can be viewed at CUESEmerge.com.