3 Virginians Among the 2023 GAC Crashers

The 2023 GAC Crashers have been tapped from the largest applicant pool of credit union rising leaders in the program’s 14-year history. Three Virginians are among those selected to Crash the GAC: 

• Courtney Gray - Marketing & Business Development Manager- Spectra Credit Union
• Stephanie Potter - VP of Brand - ValleyStar Credit Union
• Tyjai Richardson - Member Liaison Specialist - Chartway Federal Credit Union

With 233 applications, the competition was tighter than ever before for the 58 Crashers selected to attend CUNA’s Governmental Affairs Conference in D.C. this February-March. The group represents 48 U.S. states and includes three WYCUP Scholarship winners from Africa, Australia, and Ukraine. 

"Congratulations to this year’s class of GAC Crashers! We’re excited to welcome this engaged group of young credit union professionals to our movement’s premier advocacy event," said CUNA President/CEO Jim Nussle. "They’ll have plenty to experience at the 2023 CUNA GAC, including amazing networking opportunities and the chance to advocate for the credit union difference to policymakers firsthand."

Exclusive Crash content will be enhanced with new learning panels focused on leadership development, credit union history, community partnerships, engagement, and key advocacy topics. Programming has also been modified to include more time with the CUNA leadership and engagement teams and to allow learning to be actualized through Crash debriefs.

"The Cooperative Trust is thrilled to welcome the newest cohort of emerging leaders to Crash the GAC in 2023," said Filene’s Community Development Director, Cortney Arnold. "This group of rising professionals are the future of credit unions, and it is an honor to be part of history as we make space for them and where they will lead the industry in the decades to come. We know these Crashers will bring spirit, passion, and hopefully a little bit of good fun and disruption to CUNA GAC."

Filene and the Cooperative Trust thank CUNA for enabling this group of emerging leaders to participate in the nation’s largest credit union event by covering the registration costs of 51 of this year’s Crashers. 

Crash the GAC is Filene’s and The Cooperative Trust’s keystone Crash event. It is a non-stop, career-changing program for young professionals that gives them opportunities to build industry knowledge and connections in ways they would not otherwise likely have. The premier activity hosted by Crashers during CUNA’s GAC, Thunderpunch, will be held in partnership with SavvyMoney on Monday, February 27.

The Cooperative Trust is the credit union industry’s largest young professional community. The Crash Program is designed to empower credit union young professionals through professional development and by finding and amplifying their voices to advocate for the role of young people in the industry. This year, The Cooperative Trust is launching the 2nd cohort of Crash Course: Filene’s Centers of Excellence to gain a holistic perspective on credit unions and how our industry can continue to serve members into the 21st century and beyond. 

Crash the GAC is brought to you by The Cooperative Trust from Filene Research Institute and is made possible by the generous support of CUNA, and with help from League partners.