WILD Initiative

Have you ever discussed with your colleagues, "Wouldn't it be great if XYZ existed for our members?" The Wisconsin Ideation & Leadership Development (WILD) Initiative is a rare opportunity that involves participants and their credit unions to take part in a six-month process to develop financial products, services, and business models that increase credit unions' relevance as America's best financial partner.

Participants will move from insights to ideation, from prototyping to testing, and their homegrown innovations will be officially unveiled at The League's Annual Convention & Expo. Calling all forward-thinkers in The Movement to participate!

Now Accepting Applications for 2025 WILD!

The program aims to:

Significantly impact a credit union's strategy and member service, rather than present a short-term fix
Immerse participants in a leadership opportunity that clarifies a vision for their credit union
Instill in participating credit unions a deliberate, comprehensive, and disciplined approach to innovation
Develop new capabilities for innovation that empower teams over the long term
Stretch and build internal competencies that continually foster solution building
Help credit unions realize their potential offering products & services that make The Difference
Strengthen credit unions as promoters of financial wellness in Wisconsin

The effort is a collaboration of The League and Corporate Central Credit Union, which are coordinating and funding the program; The Filene Research Institute, which engages participants in the ideation, development, and implementation; and credit unions, which dedicate themselves to a six-month process of engagement.

The WILD program taught me to think like an innovator and refine my skills with problem definition, humane centered design, and ideation.
I collaborated with an amazing team of credit union leaders who shared my passion for improving the lives of our members. Presenting
at The League's Annual Convention & Expo offered an opportunity to hone my public speaking skills and share my team's idea with
colleagues. My WILD experience was valuable and my team continues to stay in touch.

Whitney Townsend, CCUFC
Director of Business & Community Development
Fort Community Credit Union

View 2024 WILD Participants

2023 WILD Participants

Filene partnered with The Wisconsin Credit Union League and Corporate Central Credit Union, bringing credit union innovators together through Wisconsin Ideation Leadership Development (WILD) for a third year! Credit union leaders across Wisconsin have come together over a six-month period to solve big challenges faced by members and community members.

For nearly 90 years, The League has been steadfastly dedicated to its core purpose: promoting The Credit Union Difference. Through a commitment to excellence, honesty & integrity, risk-taking, balance, and unity, we are proud to support Wisconsin's credit unions and Wisconsin's credit union members.

Team MICR

Bridge the Gap
Team MIC has a passion for serving the underserved communities in Wisconsin, specifically the Hispanic community. Seeing a real need for accessible and familiar services for immigrants, Team MIC set out to solve this challenge. What they learned is that its not always about a product, but rather building trusting relationships that truly matter. Team members include: Alexandrea Auch from Badger Globe Credit Union, Courtney Ramos from Blackhawk Credit Union, Ryan Marshall from Blackhawk Credit Union, Taylor Tarras from Royal Credit Union, and Whitney Townsend from Fort Community Credit Union.

Team POD

The Pulse
After hearing about the hardships that their coworkers experienced, Team POD sought to answer the question: How might we promote holistic emplovee wellness within credit unions? They created The Pulse, a comprehensive and interactive wellness website offering credit union employees the convenience of a one-stop shop for all their wellness needs. This program provides a pulse on the overall wellness and morale of the organization, which directly impacts member service and promotes employee wellness in all areas of life. Team members include: Ashley Woodhouse from Fort Community Credit Unid?, David Norgaard from Royal Credit Union, Nancy Mandell from Blackhawk Credit Union, Olivia Buell from Connexus Credit Union, and Sierra Randall from Corporate Central Credit Union.

In Collaboration With

2019-2021 Innovators

Team DisRUPT

Ryan Balts, Royal Credit Union
Fisnik Lumani, UW Credit Union
Lydia Lynch, Capital Credit Union
Meagan Fleming, Heartland Credit Union
Kathy Westphal, Corporate Central Credit Union

Team Colorful Neighbors

Jessie Alarcon, Dane County Credit Union
Jessica Dreier, Co-Op Credit Union
Alex Krukowski, Capital Credit Union
Alexandra Westerhausen, Simplicity Credit Union

Team Lucid Dreamers

Jacob Fischer, Heartland Credit Union
See Natzke, Capital Credit Union
Mackenzie Schultz, Altra Federal Credit Union

2018-2019 Innovators

Team Innovision

Matt Gerber, Royal Credit Union
Justine Stephens, Indianhead Credit Union
Emily Olsen, Educators Credit Union
Mark Volz, Corporate Central Credit Union
Harmony Paulley, Co-Op Credit Union

Team Propel

Alan Bergstrom, Community First Credit Union
Melissa Parker, Capital Credit Union
Sue Campbell, Simplicity Credit Union
Katie Clark, CoVantage Credit Union
Anne Zickus, Heartland Credit Union

Team Crescendo

Bryan Davis, Educators Credit Union
Jackson Burgau, Heartland Credit Union
Brittany Jordan, Corporate Central Credit Union
Jessica Wagner, UW Credit Union
Robyn Newcomb, Fort Community Credit Union

2017-2018 Innovators

Team FARM

Fred Blask, Corporate Central Credit Union
Amy Bauer, Royal Credit Union
Ross Hubbard, 1st Community Credit Union
Mandi Goodness, Bulls Eye Credit Union

Team Innovation KABB

Kara Guse, Glacier Hills Credit Union
Alissa Haines, Altra Federal Credit Union
Bryan Ermeling, Covantage Credit Union
Ben Bauer, Simplicity Credit Union

Team Trending Dabbers

Lesley Enz, PCM Credit Union
Shay Santos, Dane County Credit Union
Matt Sathoff, University of Wisconsin Credit Union
Sonny Schaar, Premier Financial Credit Union

Team Quad Squad

Tina Liegel, Heartland Credit Union
Danielle Green, Park City Credit Union
Jonathan Probst, Capital Credit Union
Lindsey DeBartelo, Blackhawk Community Credit Union