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Our Instructors

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Mary Svoboda 

Foundation & Structure of CUs 

Mary Svoboda has spent more than 30 years working for the credit union industry: holding positions in operations, marketing and training at three different credit unions across the nation.  She is the former Chief Lending Officer/Chief Operating Officer for JAX Federal Credit Union. 

Mary is passionate about the credit union movement and has taught the CUEP flagstone course “Foundation & Structure of Credit Unions” since 2004.  Mary earned her bachelor’s degree from Governors State University in Illinois and her MBA from Georgia College & State University.   

In 2002, she graduated from the University Of Wisconsin’s CUNA Management School.  She also serves the movement as the Chair for Credit Union Education Program.

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Ryan Derr

Consumer Lending 

Ryan has worked for VyStar Credit Union for over 9 years. As a Training Specialist for new employees, Ryan has the privilege of working with new hires throughout their orientation and teller onboarding training, with a focus on consumer lending.

Credit has an impact on everyday life, and Ryan enjoys having the opportunity to teach and explain these lending topics further. As an introduction to Lending, this class focuses on credit and various other topics such as types of credit, lending regulations, and reviewing credit reports.

Ryan graduated from the University of South Florida in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Throughout his career he has held various positions within the credit union, with Lending and Training being the most prominent.

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Lydia Hancik, PMP 

Human Behavior 

With a commitment to excellence and a passion for people; driven by these core values, Lydia is a strong proponent of the "People Helping People" credit union philosophy.

 

She a PMO Project Manager for UNIFY Financial Credit Union and holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute. She has held a variety of titles in both member-facing and support roles and is involved with the NEFL Credit Union community. Lydia also serves as Chair of the Credit Union Education Program.

 

Every day we interact with other people: members, coworkers, and managers just to name a few. Understanding personality types, learning styles, and emotional intelligence not only allows us to learn more about ourselves but helps us to better interact with those around us. Together in the Human Behavior class we will explore these concepts and find ways to apply it outside of the classroom.

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Laneia McCrea 

Credit Union Math 

Laneia is the Administrative Assistant to Information Systems, Finance/Accounting, and Lending at 121 Financial Credit Union. She's previously worked in Training, Lending, Collections, Branch Operations, and Human Resources at Jax Federal, Community First and Coastline. 

Laneia graduated from Jacksonville University and the University of North Florida with a BS Degree in Accounting and an MBA. She also holds her certifications in project management and credit union financial counseling. 

Learning is her passion. Her goal is to provide a fun and easy approach to allow students to strengthen their understanding of how they use math in their credit union roles, as well as their personal financial lives. 

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Lisa Wiley 

Mortgage Lending 

Lisa has been in the Mortgage Industry for over 20 years and has experience in every stage of the mortgage process.

Throughout her career, she has had the opportunity to develop and implement many exciting programs to benefit members, including “No Closing Cost’’ program which has been extremely successful.

 

Lisa believes strongly in the Credit Union movement and is always promoting the Credit Union philosophy of “people helping people.”

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Ashleigh Robinson

Personal Finance 

Ashleigh is the Community Relations and Member Development Manager for First Florida Credit Union.  She is responsible for First Florida’s financial literacy and education initiatives throughout the state and also regularly represents the credit union on the local news delivering financial tips and information.

 

Ashleigh holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of North Florida and a Master’s Certificate in Nonprofit Executive Leadership and Management from the University of Florida. She is also a proud graduate of CUEP.

 

Personal finance will be an introduction to the 5 primary areas that make up the topic: Income, Expenses, Savings, Investing, and Protection. Even as credit union employees, there will be something new to learn that you can share with your members or apply to your future financial success.

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John Hirabayashi

Financial Management 

Check back for more information. 

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Karen Bernstein

Fundamentals of Member Service 

Check back for more information. 

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Colleen Stubbs

Collection Techniques

Colleen Stubbs is the Director of Member Resolutions at 121 Financial Credit Union. She has over 10 years of experience in the Credit Union industry and has worked in Operations, Lending and Collections.

 

Colleen holds a BA Degree in Business Communications and is a CUNA certified financial counselor and a CUNA Council Mentor. She believes wholeheartedly that Collections is not just about collecting payments, it is building relationships with our members and providing them with the tools they need to improve their financial wellbeing.

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 Adam Wade

Credit Union Marketing 

Adam Wade is an award-winning creative with more than 20 years’ experience in financial services, media, and publishing. He is currently Vice President of Marketing for 121 Financial Credit Union, where he leads all elements of branding, marketing, and public relations behind “Jacksonville’s Hometown Credit Union,” including its naming-rights partnership (121 Financial Ballpark) with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp baseball team.

 

In addition to other entrepreneurial pursuits, Adam is co-founder of Mercury 13, a digital marketing consultancy that works with Fortune 500 clients in media and publishing. Previously, he served in a range of marketing roles for Dow Jones & Co., including it’s The Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch, and Factiva brands.

 

He earned his MBA from Jacksonville University, a master’s from Boston University, and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Central Florida.

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Victoria Gray 

Effective Writing

Victoria is a Training and Development Specialist at Community First Credit Union. She has over 10 years of experience in the Financial Industry and has spent the majority of her career in credit unions. 

 

Victoria has held many positions in the industry, holds a degree from FSCJ, numerous certifications, and is currently focused on the training and development of branch member service representatives at Community First. She is the Secretary for the CUEP Advisory Committee and has served on the committee for 5 years. She is focused on the continued education of those in the credit union industry. 

Victoria has a passion for the Credit Union Movement and is committed to doing her part to see its continued success. 

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Kenyon Sutton

Financial Counseling

Check back for more information. 

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