Ronaldo Hardy
President & CEO
Ronaldo is a dynamic powerhouse of an executive with the personal mission “to change the world by building the people who will change the world.”
Ronaldo most recently led CU Strategic Planning’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Accessibility services, which include the full range of DEIBA assessments, training, and consulting. He has proven that an effective and comprehensive DEIBA strategy can improve innovation, staff retention, job satisfaction, and profitability. During his time as the purpose-driven, high-results CEO of Southwest Louisiana CU Ronaldo led his credit union to CDFI certification and an FA award with CU Strategic Planning and developed an executive team capable of maintaining the phenomenal 1.22% ROA, 7% yield on average loans and more than 10% annual loan growth left in their hands.
He is a highly sought-after speaker, having presented to CUNA Management School, CUES, and the NCUA’s Inaugural Diversity Summit to name just a few, and has been published in the Credit Union Journal, CU Times, CU Insight, Credit Union Magazine and CU Today.
Ronaldo holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Science in Human Resource Education with a concentration in Leadership Development. He is an alumnus of the Urban Leadership Development Institute and CUES CEO Institute at the Wharton School of Business.
He is defined first and foremost by his faith in God and love of his family. He is the founder and lead pastor of the Love Alive Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Ronaldo is a father to four beautiful children with his wife Cristian.
NACUSO HQ
6000 28th Street SE #300
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
Phone: (888) 462-2870
ronaldo@nacuso.org
Becky Reed
Board Chair and Co-founder/Partner of PureIT CUSO
Becky Reed is a co-founder of the Credit Union Service Organization, PureIT CUSO, which provides technology infrastructure support and professional services to credit unions. She is a credit union industry veteran and thought leader with more than two decades of leadership in credit unions and CUSOs. In her most recent role as the CEO of Lone Star Credit Union, Becky led the organization through a complete digital transformation starting with a technology foundational remediation in 2016 which allowed the credit union to achieve economies of scale through increased efficiency. Ms. Reed is also CEO and Founder of BRaaS. Renowned for her unique perspective as both a credit union executive and CUSO leader, her expertise and advice are sought after by those who seek to embrace innovation. Ms. Reed was elected to the Board in 2018.
PureIT CUSO/BRaaS
14555 N Dallas Pkwy Ste 100
Dallas, TX 75254
Phone: (817) 909-3174
Becky@BRaaSconsulting.com
Dean Young
Board Vice Chair and EVP/Chief Experience Officer at PSCU
Dean Young is the EVP/Chief Experience Officer at PSCU, which serves the CUSO’s 800 Member-Owner credit unions across the country. Dean is responsible for leading cross-company collaboration efforts to create the strategy, design, engagement and execution of the CUSO’s member experience, as well as provide an added focus on service excellence and improvement initiatives for all stakeholders. Additionally, he will oversee all marketing and communications efforts. Dean joined PSCU in 2005 with 15 years of financial services expertise focused on bringing the greatest value to partnerships. Prior to joining PSCU, Dean was a Vice President of Relationship Development for a subsidiary of Bankers Financial Corporation. Under his direction, the subsidiary experienced double-digit revenue growth as well as 95% client retention. During his 12-year career with the firm, he held various relationship development, sales, finance and operational leadership roles. Mr. Young was elected to the board in 2015.
PSCU
560 Carillon Parkway
St. Petersburg, FL 33706
Phone: (727) 571-7982
dyoung@pscu.com
Bill Beardsley
Board Treasurer and President and Chief Lending Officer of Michigan Business Connection
After nearly a 20 year banking career in Michigan, Bill led the launch of Michigan Business Connection, LC in March 2004 and serves as its president and chief lending officer. MBC is a collaborative effort by credit unions throughout the State of Michigan to provide small business and commercial real estate financing. The MBC business model enhances sustainable lending capacity by allowing credit union lenders to share the risks and costs of commercial loan program management while collaboratively providing capital critical to Michigan’s economic prosperity. Since inception, MBC has helped the credit unions originate and manage over $1 Billion in financing for Michigan business owners and real estate investors. The company is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Mr. Beardsley has been a member of the board since 2017.
Michigan Business Connection
2200 Commonwealth Blvd., Suite #200
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Phone: (734)926-4250
billb@mbcloans.biz
Nick Evens
Board Secretary and CEO of Curql Collective, LLC
Nick Evens is the President and CEO of Curql Collective, LLC. Nick cultivates opportunities to help fintech and credit unions collaborate on breakthrough technologies that minimize threats and successfully improve, disrupt and position the industry with a best-in-class member experience. Prior to leading Curql Collective, Nick was President of The Veridian Group, Inc. (TVG), the wholly-owned CUSO holding company of Veridian Credit Union, where he led investment strategy and direction for the $5.2B institution. Based in Waterloo, Iowa, TVG’s holdings include Veridian Insurance and Veridian Fiscal Solutions with total staff over 45 strong. During his tenure, Nick managed TVG’s more than ten direct minority investments in CUSO companies, positioning the organization with direct equity stakes in Dwolla, Alkami Technology and Moov Financial and committing approximately $10MM in six venture or seed capital funds. Mr. Evens was elected to the board in 2016.
Curql Collective, LLC
666 Walnut Street, Suite #2260
Des Moines, IA 50309
Phone: (319) 415-7064
nick@curql.com
Miriam Ackerman
Director and Chief Strategy Officer of DNT BLNK and Co-founder of NetGiver
Miriam Ackerman has been actively involved in developing creative products and business solutions for over 20 years. Her professional experience has spanned the spectrum from the arts and entertainment industry, to sports, healthcare and financial technology. She holds an MA in Arts Management and Cultural Policy from the University of London (London School of Economics and Birkbeck University). Ms. Ackerman is Chief Strategy Officer at DNT BLNK, a Minneapolis- based venture studio focused on developing, building and advancing startups through strategy, partnerships, brand, and product development where she is co-founder of NetGiver, the mobile giving platform exclusively for credit unions. Before taking her position in DNT BLNK, she led creative strategy for a healthcare technology platform with an emphasis on accessibility and usability. Ms. Ackerman was elected to the board in March of 2023.
NetGiver
323 N. Washington Ave., Suite #200
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Phone: (612) 642-1750
Miriam@netgiverapp.com
Seth Brickman
Director and CEO of QCash Financial by Alloya
Seth Brickman is CEO of QCash Financial by Alloya. Mr. Brickman is an innovative leader with a successful track record of building software products customers love to use and transforming businesses through the use of data-based decision making and conversion rate optimization. Working for Companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Carnival Corporation, he has seen many successes and has consistently grown customer satisfaction/engagement, revenue and EBITA. As a veteran of the US Navy and MBA Adjunct Professor, he gets to regularly interact with future leaders and also grow his own knowledge base. Throughout his career, he has built a solid track record of creating user centric products solving a company’s most complex issues. Whether it was a turnaround strategy for QCash Financial, engagement strategies (personalization and gamification) and execution for Alexa, apps for Microsoft’s Fortune 50 customers, new platform solutions for Amazon, or PaaS products for Goldman Sachs, he has consistently grown company revenue, used data as a product and empowered teams to accomplish great things. Mr. Brickman was elected to the board in 2022.
QCash Financial by Alloya
P.O. Box 1727
Olympia, WA 98507
Phone: 425-949-6724
sbrickman@qcashfinancial.com
Brad Crandall
Director and CEO of The Servion Group
Brad Crandall serves as president and chief executive officer of The Servion Group, Inc., a Minnesota-based credit union service organization partnering with more than 450 credit unions and community banks around the country. Mr. Crandall joined The Servion Group (then C.U. Mortgage Services) in 1995. Over the next decade, he held a variety of roles including loan officer and vice president of production. He was named CEO in 2005. During his tenure as CEO, the company has expanded from its origins as a mortgage support organization for credit unions into a diversified organization providing a variety of solutions for financial institutions. The Servion Group was awarded the NACUSO CUSO of the Year award in 2018 as a recognition of excellence in innovation and collaboration in the industry. Active in the credit union movement, Mr. Crandall has presented for CUNA’s Lending Council, the National Association of CUSOs, and Prime Alliance Symposium. Mr. Crandall was elected to the board in 2021.
The Servion Group, Inc.
500 Main Street
New Brighton, MN 55112
Phone: (651)787-9525
bcrandall@myservion.com
Ray Crouse
Director and President of Skyla Financial Solutions
Ray Crouse is the President of Skyla Financial Solutions located in Pasadena, California. Ray was recruited to this credit union in 2015 due to his strength in collaboration and strong belief in the credit union system. He has quickly energized this credit union and built a plan to turn around its aging membership. Prior to arriving at Skyla, Ray operated his own consulting company, Unity Review which assisted many CUSOs, and Credit Unions with analyzing CUSO opportunities as well as specific investments in CUSOs. Ray was also previously President of Allegacy Business Solutions for Allegacy Federal Credit Union. Mr. Crouse previously served on the NACUSO board 2012-2013 and was re-elected in 2016.
Skyla Financial Solutions
100 W. Walnut Street
Pasadena, CA 91124
Phone: (704) 375-0183 x4333
rcrouse@skylacu.com
Phil DuPree
Director and Chief Revenue Officer of Origence
Phil DuPree is the Chief Revenue Officer at Origence. Mr. Dupree leads the automotive vision and oversees all strategic planning, direction, and development of CU Direct’s automotive solutions, encompassing both product and market expansion. He also oversees the sales division, spanning CU Direct’s nationwide presence. He has over 20 years of experience in the automotive industry, including delivery of innovative technologies, e-commerce, and sales solutions .Before joining the CU Direct team, Mr. DuPree held a number of management positions, including: Executive Vice President of Autobytel, President of AutoUSA and Vice President of E-Commerce for AutoNation. Mr. DuPree was elected to the board in 2019.
Origence
18400 Von Karman Avenue, Suite #900
Irvine, CA 92612
Office: (909) 481-2307
Phil.DuPree@origence.com
Mike Haggerty
Director and COO of CommunityAmerica Credit Union
Mike Haggerty serves as Chief Operating Officer of CommunityAmerica Credit Union. CUSO One is a wholly owned subsidiary of CommunityAmerica Credit Union, providing white-labeled, full service financial, wealth, and mortgage services to credit unions across the nation and members all over the world. CUSO One also serves as the innovation lab for CommunityAmerica, a member centric team developing products and solutions to ease member pain points enabling their path to financial peace of mind. Mr. Haggerty is very active in both the Kansas City and financial community, currently serving as a board member of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Kansas City, the Directed Account Plan, and TruHome Solutions. He formerly served as a board member of Catholic Charities. Before joining CommunityAmerica, he worked as an auditor with KPMG and a wealth advisor for Smith Barney. Mr. Haggerty was originally elected to the board in 2022.
CommunityAmerica Credit Union
9777 Ridge Drive
Lenexa, KS 66219
Phone: (916)905-8116
mhaggerty@cacu.com
John Janclaes
Director and CEO of Nymbus CUSO
John Janclaes is president of Nymbus CUSO. For more than 30 years, John has successfully led strategic growth initiatives for financial services organizations, dedicating much of his career to the credit union movement, including as president and CEO of Partners Federal Credit Union. He is a highly regarded industry innovator, advocate and connector. After leading five-fold growth at Partners over his 17-year tenure, John was named president of Nymbus CUSO in 2021, working with credit unions to break through barriers to growth by leveraging digital banking for niche member segments and taking on digital challengers. John is a strategic thinker focused on driving credit union growth in the new age of digital. His decades of past experience as an operator uniquely inform his approach to what’s next. In addition to Nymbus CUSO, John is an advisor for several industry associations, including the Credit Union National Association (CUNA), CULytics and Filene Research Institute. He has been honored with the James D. Likens Award as a distinguished alumnus of the Western CUNA Management School, where he is on the faculty and has served on the board of trustees. He previously served on the board of directors for the country’s largest CUSO, CO-OP Financial Services, and is on the current board of AKUVO, one of the most leading-edge CUSOs. Mr. Janclaes joined the board in 2021.
Nymbus CUSO
1688 Meridian Avenue, Suite #700
Miami Beach, FL 33139
Phone: (855) 210-7874
jjanclaes@nymbus.com
Brian Lauer
General Counsel
Brian G. Lauer is a partner with the law firm of Messick Lauer & Smith P.C. in Media, Pennsylvania where he concentrates his practice on assisting credit unions, primarily through CUSOs, in finding effective ways to work collaboratively with other credit unions and third party service providers to serve their members with non-traditional products and services. Brian also assists credit unions and CUSOs navigate the sea of regulations affecting nearly every aspect of their day to day operations. Upon the retirement of Guy Messick at the end of 2020, Brian became NACUSO’s General Counsel in 2021. Brian will continue to serve as a liaison with the NCUA and other regulatory agencies for NACUSO. His law firm maintains a website at www.cusolaw.com. Mr. Lauer has been with NACUSO since 2006.
Messick Lauer & Smith P.C.
1055 E. Baltimore Pike, Suite #202
Media, PA 19063
Phone: (610) 891-9000
blauer@cusolaw.com
Bob Frizzle
CFO
Bob Frizzle is the Chief Financial Officer of CU*Answers, Inc. CU*Answers, the data processing CUSO from MI, is currently owned by more than 140 credit unions nationwide. Mr. Frizzle has been serving in the credit union industry since 1989. In his position as CFO at CU*Answers, he has assisted in growing the CUSO from annual revenues of $6 million to $62 million projected in 2021. He has also assisted in the creation of several CUSOs including Xtend, CU Northwest, CU South, eDOC Innovations, Processing Alliance, Site 4, Neighborhood Mortgage Solutions, CU Student Choice, and several others. Mr. Frizzle also serves as the CFO for the following CUSOs and Associations: Xtend, Inc., eDOC Innovations, Inc., CU Student Choice, LLC, NACUSO and NACUSO Business Services. He also sits on the Board of Directors for eDOC Innovations, Inc. Mr. Frizzle has been with NACUSO since 2005.
CU*Answers
6000 28th Street SE, Suite #100
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
Phone: (616) 285-5711
bfrizzle@cuanswers.com
Shawna Luna
Director of Operations & Executive Assistant to the CEO
Shawna Luna, with over 27 years of experience, is an integral member of NACUSO, having served in various key roles. Based in Eugene, Oregon, Shawna started her career in the credit union industry in 1992 at TSA Special Services, a CUSO for First Financial Credit Union Union in West Covina, California. In 1996, she joined NACUSO, brought in by Bob Dorsa, the founder and first President of NACUSO and ACUMA. Throughout her tenure, she has been privileged to collaborate closely with former NACUSO CEOs, including Thomas C. Davis, Vic Pantea, and most recently, Jack Antonini. Her current responsibilities encompass director of operations, executive assistant to the CEO, and corporate events meeting planner.
NACUSO HQ
6000 28th Street SE #300
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
Phone: (949) 645-5296
shawna@nacuso.org
Amanda Reed
Director of Marketing and Membership
Amanda Reed is a dedicated professional with a background in education and a strong connection to the credit union industry. She joined NACUSO in December of 2021 and brings valuable experience from her previous role at CUInsight.com. Amanda’s passions encompass coffee, music, writing, creative problem solving, digital marketing, advocacy, and education. At NACUSO, her main focus is providing collaborative marketing support to serve the organization’s members and partners.
NACUSO HQ
6000 28th Street SE #300
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
Phone: (949) 645-5296
amanda@nacuso.org
Shannon Spicer
Director of Accounting and Admin Support
Shannon Spicer joined NACUSO in November of 2019. She brings an accounting degree, with years of experience, and a background of working in business administration. Her priorities will be assisting with membership dues processing and assisting the team throughout the year with the NACUSO Network Conference and other NACUSO projects. Shannon resides in Eugene, Oregon, with her husband Mike and their two daughters.
NACUSO HQ
6000 28th Street SE #300
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
Phone: (949) 645-5296
shannon@nacuso.org
