Christina Mullins Named 2026 CUES Emerging Leader
MADISON,
WI – October 13, 2026 – Christina
Mullins, Senior Lending Resources
Specialist, State Employees' CU, NC, has been named the 2026 CUES Emerging
Leader.
As
one of five finalists, Mullins’ journey began when she was selected into the
CUES Emerge program early in 2026. From there, attendees engaged in live online
courses and Mastermind sessions, creating project ideas and developing business
cases that were reviewed by a panel of judges.
On
October 7, Mullins and four other finalists presented their projects live
during an online pitch show. The event was hosted by Tim McAlpine, Founder
& CEO of Currency Marketing.
Two other
finalists, Justin Thompson, Marketing Automation Analyst,
Royal CU, WI, and
Brandon White, Manager Financial Crimes
Analytics, Wings CU, CO, were named as runners-up.
Each Top 3 winner will
receive a CUES educational package with options to advance their growth, led by
top executive education professors, plus leadership assessment and coaching
from Envision Excellence.
Mullins’ winning
business case, BUILDing from Within: A Scalable Succession Management
Framework, offers a five-phase approach to succession planning that helps
credit unions develop future leaders from within, reduce turnover and hiring
costs, and establish a board-approved process aligned with NCUA expectations.
The other finalists taking
part in the online pitch show were:
- Nicole Baker, Member Center Manager, Community Choice CU, MI
- Elizabeth Seelbach, Director of Strategy, Resource One CU, TX
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 (CCM) designation in
recognition of their commitment to their career, credit union, and the movement.
Applications for CUES Emerge 2027 open in January.
Watch the 2026 CUES Emerge Pitch Show replay and explore the program at CUESEmerge.com.
Learn more about CUES at cues.org. For more on Currency Marketing, visit CurrencyMarketing.ca.
About CUES
For
over 60 years, CUES has advanced the credit union movement by developing
exceptional purpose-driven leaders who meet the unique needs of their
organizations and the communities they serve. CUES partners with the credit
union system to elevate the leaders of today and tomorrow through exclusive
networking and event opportunities, programs that facilitate personal and
professional development, and unmatched digital and in-person learning
experiences. Visit CUES.org
to learn how CUES plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of credit unions.
About
Currency Marketing
Currency Marketing (https://www.currencymarketing.ca/) is the leading
credit union-focused financial education firm. The It’s a Money Thing
Financial Education Program helps credit unions attract, educate and
inspire young adult members, and provides education and financial training for
members and staff. In addition, Currency Marketing partners with CUES to manage
the CUES Emerge program aimed at celebrating the best emerging credit union
leaders and their ideas.