Tag Archives: CUNA Mutual Group

Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber Diversity & Inclusion Summit

The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber is hosting the fourth annual Executive Diversity & Inclusion Summit, an educational event for professionals on Friday, September 26th. The Executive Diversity & Inclusion Summit, sponsored by Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare-Iowa, Inc. will be held at Allen College, 1990 Heath Street, Waterloo, from 8:00am to 1:30pm, with registration and breakfast beginning at 7:30am. The Summit provides attendees a concentrated and focused experience with multiple activities including a keynote speaker, a featured speaker, and authoritative workshops. Recertification credit hours toward PHR, SPHR and GPHR recertification through the HR Certification Institute are available to attendees.

Summit Topic: Identifying Unconscious Bias in the Work Place

The keynote speaker is Armers Moncure, whose areas of speaking, consulting and training focus and expertise include: Unconscious Bias, Cultural Competency and Employee Engagement. Most recently, Armers piloted new approaches to integrating best practices in Diversity and Inclusion and Employee Engagement. One of his signature and most popular workshops for increasing engagement is called Discovering WorkLife Passion and Purpose.

The focus of the keynote presentation will be Unconscious Bias in the Work Place. Attendees will gain an understanding of the dynamics of hidden or unconscious perceptions and how it can show up in daily activities and reinforce stereotypes. The presentation will also show how unconscious bias impacts talents management and inclusion within the workplace and offer ways to mitigate the impact of unconscious bias.

The featured speaker is Deanna Kosaraju with her presentation How to Create and Sustain a High Performing Team Through Diversification. This presentation will look at how diversity in an organization can increase innovation and enhance productivity, resulting in higher sales and profits. Creating a plan for the recruitment, retention and advancement of diverse employees, while eliminating unconscious bias and stereotype threat, will shift an organization from a stifling culture to one where ideas and innovation thrive.

Two breakout sessions will be presented by local experts; Effective Workplace Communication in a Pluralistic Society presented by Karris Golden and Diversity and the Impact on Your Organization presented by Quentin Hart.

Also during the Summit, the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber will announce the call for nominations and application processes for the Diversity & Inclusion Awards to be presented at the 2015 Annual Celebration, March 26, 2015 at the Park Place Event Center, Cedar Falls.

These awards will be given for outstanding contribution by a business or organization for leadership in creating and strengthening an environment of diversity and inclusion in the workplace culture, business practices and in the community. Deadline for nominations is October 31, 2014.

The Summit’s premier sponsor is Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare Iowa-Inc. It is also supported by gold sponsors Allen College Unity Point and Veridian Credit Union. CUNA Mutual Group is the silver sponsor. There is no cost to attend, but registration is requested no later than September 19th by going to the Events Calendar at www.cedarvalleyalliance.com. More information about the initiative and the awards can be found there.

The Diversity & Inclusion Initiative helps the business & institutions of the Cedar Valley region recognize and act on the business case for adopting and implementing inclusive practices in hiring, employee development, marketing and environment.

For more information about the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber Diversity & Inclusion Partnership, Summit or awards call Cary Darrah at (319)232-1156 or email cdarrah@cedarvalleyalliance.com.

Go to the event page on our website by clicking here.

###

Hoover Middle School Students Showcase Leadership Knowledge and Skills to Business Professionals at CUNA Mutual

Hoover Middle School students will be showcasing their knowledge of the 7 Habits to CUNA Mutual employees at a 7 Habits Lunch & Learn, Thursday, June 5 in Waverly. The student led presentation will complete a seven part series of luncheons based on the leadership principles outlined in Steven Covey’s bestseller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

In January 2014, a group of CUNA Mutual employees attended a 7 Habits workshop hosted by the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber. Impressed by the 7 Habits experience, those employees returned to the office to share their knowledge with other CUNA employees. The result was a series of lunch and learns based on the 7 Habits.

“We talk about a habit, then challenge participants to live the habit, and do a simple activity relating to that habit during the week. We start the next week by discussing how last week went,” says

Mary Driscoll, Team Leader, Consumer Service Contact Center at CUNA Mutual Group.

The CUNA organizers inquired of Leader Valley Program Director, Melissa Reade, about having students from a Leader in Me school share their insights and expertise about the 7 Habits and Leader in Me in the final session of the series. Leader in Me is a K-12 initiative to infuse the 7 Habits into school culture in order to better equip students with soft skill for life long success. Leader in Me has been adopted in schools across the Cedar Valley.

“We are so pleased to have this unique opportunity for a few of our many talented students to share in a business setting what they have gained from being part of a leadership focused school. We know Hoover students are our future neighbors, friends, employees, leaders, and community members who will shape the Cedar Valley. At Hoover, we strive to create a leadership culture that instills the necessary essential skills that prepare student for what life has to offer, both professionally and personally,” says Mike Fisher, Principal at Hoover Middle School, “We couldn’t be happier to be presenting and sharing with our CUNA friends.”

CUNA Mutual staff will have the opportunity to interact directly with students as they showcase their leadership displays. The students will then give a presentation on the 7 Habits and lead hands on activities for the CUNA Mutual staff, followed by Q&A and a luncheon.

About the Leader Valley and Leader in Me

The Leader Valley Talent Initiative of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber is an effort to make the Cedar Valley a better place for students to excel and become well prepared for citizenship and their future careers. This is achieved through high levels of community collaboration. Through Leader Valley, strong partnerships among Cedar Valley businesses, school district administrators and school boards, parents, and the community are being built. Leader in Me is offered to Cedar Valley K-12 schools through Leader Valley, which incorporates leadership into all facets of the school culture.

Hoover Middle School is wrapping up their first year of Leader in Me implementation. The Hoover team has spent a year embedding leadership into all facets of their school culture- from curriculum and instruction to their environment, operational systems, and traditions.

Student leaders at Hoover have ample opportunities to learn about and apply the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, as well as use and refine their gifts and talents in authentic leadership opportunities ranging from classroom and school-wide leadership roles, leadership committees, clubs, and event planning.

Two highlights for Hoover this year include their Leader in Me Ribbon Cutting, a ceremony commemorating the shift to a leadership culture, as well as their Leadership Day, which allowed community leaders that chance to see Hoover student leaders in action.

CUNA Mutual has been a long-time champion of Leader Valley. In 2013, CUNA Mutual Foundation sponsored Leader in Me implementation at George Washington Carver Academy by providing a $75,000 gift over three years. The foundation plans to make similar gifts for implementing the Leader in Me in additional schools the near future.

For more information contact Program Director, Melissa Reade, at Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber by calling (319)232-1156 or by email mreade@cedarvalleyalliance.com.

CUNA Mutual Group’s Waverly Philanthropy Committee Presents Donation to first Waverly Leader in Me School -St. John’s Lutheran

St. Paul’s Lutheran School is the first school in Waverly to show interest in the “Leader in Me” program. With the success of this program in several Cedar Valley schools and the belief that this program will facilitate strong working partnerships between Cedar Valley businesses, educators, parents and students in each community in which Leader Valley is organized, CUNA Mutual Group hopped on board. On May 29th, CUNA Mutual Group’s Waverly Philanthropy Committee presented a generous donation to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church & School, sponsoring the implementation of the Leader in Me program into the school’s curriculum.

Cedar Valley’s CUNA Mutual Group and Veridian Credit Union collaborate, fund implementation of Leader in Me in two area middle schools

Cedar Valley of Iowa – Two regional financial services organizations are collaborating to help ensure an effective leadership development initiative reaches the students of two more Cedar Valley area schools. CUNA Mutual Group and Veridian Credit Union have pledged to contribute a total of $105,000 to the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber’s Leader Valley initiative to further implement The Leader in Me program

The Leader in Me builds valuable 21^st century personal skills that correlate to success in education and the workplace. As students put into practice the principles of Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, they become more self-confident and take ownership for their lives. Schools where The Leader in Me is implemented successfully see higher academic achievement, fewer discipline problems, and increased engagement among teachers and parents.

CUNA Mutual Group, through its foundation, committed $75,000 to sponsor implementation of The Leader in Me at George Washington Carver Academy Middle School and Kittrell Elementary, both in Waterloo, Iowa. Veridian Credit Union committed $30,000 to Kittrell Elementary. Veridian also participates with Kittrell Elementary in the Partners in Education program. The sum will be distributed over a three year term. Initially, the gift will provide extensive training and materials to the staff and educators at these sponsored schools.

The addition of Kittrell and Carver the total number of participating schools in the Cedar Valley is currently 14, with an anticipated impact of 6075 students and 842 educators during the upcoming 2013-2014 school year. This number represents more than one third of total students and educators in the Waterloo, Cedar Falls, and Cedar Valley Catholic Schools.

“At Veridian Credit Union, we believe that everyone is a leader,” said Jean Trainor, Veridian Credit Union’s CEO and Chief Inclusion Officer. “The Leader In Me program demonstrates that same belief and benefits our entire community as much as it does the students who participate.” Reid Koenig, Vice President of CUNA Mutual Group adds, “When one interacts with students who have been impacted by The Leader in Me, you quickly realize the effect the program is already having in transforming their lives. Our communities and businesses will reap the benefit of building great citizens and leaders for years to come.”

Steve Dust, CEO of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber is encouraged by the additional participation of the business community, “One of the Alliance & Chamber’s primary goals is to develop a strong, highly talented and skilled workforce to help businesses of all sizes grow and prosper in the Cedar Valley. This significant investment by two of the Cedar Valley’s most engaged and visionary businesses, underscores the recognized value and effectiveness of the early results from The Leader in Me initiative. It is very important that businesses of all sizes, as well as individuals and other organizations join Veridian Credit Union, CUNA Mutual Group, and CBE Companies as Leader Valley sponsors. It is only through gifts like these that it will be possible to expand The Leader in Me throughout the region.”

The combined contribution of $105,000 will be presented Aug. 15 at the New Teachers Breakfast to be held at Hawkeye Community College, Tama Hall. To accept the check on behalf of the Alliance & Chamber is Board of Directors Chairman and Leader Valley champion Tom Penaluna, CEO of CBE Companies, Inc. , who said; “with this kind of forward thinking funding from Foundations and businesses such as CUNA and Veridian, The Leader in Me can change, in a very positive way, the results of education in the Cedar Valley!” Representatives from CUNA Mutual Group, Veridian Credit Union, the Alliance & Chamber, and the Waterloo Community Schools will make comments.

About The Leader in Me

The Leader in Me incorporates leadership lessons into Cedar Valley school’s curriculum and everyday language. With reference to Dr. Stephen R. Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, The Leader in Me prepares students with key life skills, self-confidence, and accountability.

The Leader in Me, offered through Leader Valley, is an initiative of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber. Through Leader Valley, strong partnerships amongst Cedar Valley businesses, school district administrators and school boards, parents, and the community are being built to make the Cedar Valley a better place for students to excel and become well prepared for citizenship and their future careers.

ABOUT THE GREATER CEDAR VALLEY ALLIANCE & CHAMBER

The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber is a private, non-profit corporation representing and advocating for the interests of business, industry and institutions operating in the Cedar Valley. The Alliance & Chamber was created to coordinate the resources allocated to economic development in the Cedar Valley, and provide a platform for shared services wherever possible. Alliance & Chamber programming includes Business Growth and Recruitment, Workforce & Talent Recruitment and Development, Downtowns, Districts, Tourism, and Chamber. This work is coordinated through more than 10 organizations, and in partnership with many other organizations whose purpose is to encourage economic growth in the Cedar Valley of Iowa. More information is available at www.cedarvalleyalliance.com.

ABOUT CUNA Mutual Group

CUNA Mutual Group insurance, retirement and investment products provide financial security and protection to credit unions and their members worldwide. With more than 75 years of true market commitment, CUNA Mutual Group’s vision is unwavering: To be a trusted business partner who delivers service excellence through customer-focused products and market-driven insight. More information on the company is available on the company’s website at www.cunamutual.com.

ABOUT VERIDIAN

Veridian Credit Union, founded in 1934 in Waterloo, Iowa, is a not-for-profit financial cooperative owned by its members. The credit union offers a full range of consumer financial services and employs more than 560 Iowans throughout 26 branches. For more information, visit www.veridiancu.org or call (800) 235-3228.

Links to media Coverage

CONTACTS

Melissa Reade, Leader Valley Program Director, Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber
mreade@cedarvalleyalliance.om, (312)232-1156
Steve Dust, CEO, Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber
sdust@cedarvalleyalliance.com,(312)232-1156
Tom Penaluna, CEO, CBE Companies; Board Chair, Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber
nmhamer@cbecompanies.com, (319)234-6686
Reid Koenig – CUNA Mutual Group
Reid.koenig@cunamutual.com, (319)352-1000
Andrea Hudnut – Veridian Credit Union
AndreaLH@veridianCU.org, (515) 289-5561
Crystal Buzza – Waterloo Community Schools
Buzzac@waterloo.k12.ia.us, (319)433-1800

Grow Cedar Valley