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2024 WILD Participants

The Wisconsin Ideation & Local 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. Meet our 2024 participants:


Team INNOConnect


Melissa Janssen

Melissa Janssen, CUDE, CCUFC

Program Director of Community Relations
Royal Credit Union

As Program Director of Community Relations, Melissa helps lead Royal Credit Union’s community engagement, advocacy and public relations efforts. She started her credit union career as a financial educator and quickly fell in love with the Movement and all things YP! She is currently a Young Professional Advisor to the Wisconsin Credit Union League Board of Directors and serves on the YP Bootcamp planning committee. She is passionate about creating new opportunities for young professionals and helping them grow as confident leaders and credit union advocates. She is very active in her community and loves spending her free time traveling and doing anything that allows her to be in nature.


matthew Mysliwiec

Matthew Mysliwiec

Lending Center Supervisor
Altra Federal Credit Union

Matthew is the Lending Center Supervisor at Altra Federal Credit Union. With a passion for credit unions, he appreciates the genuine care they show for employees, fostering a positive relationship that extends to the members. Outside of work, Matthew indulges in his love for sports, particularly enjoying bowling and golf in his free time.


sydney shulze

Sydney Schulze

Member Advisor
Blackhawk Community Credit Union

Sydney is a Member Advisor at Blackhawk Community Credit Union. She loves credit unions because of their less fee-oriented, more personable approach and ability to truly help members meet their goals. Sydney is also an avid Harry Potter fan and enjoys collecting related memorabilia. 


randi strangstalien

Randi Strangstalien

Innovation Director
WCCU Credit Union

Randi is the Innovation Director at WCCU Credit Union. She is proud to work in The Credit Union Movement and is inspired by its “people helping people” mission. She enjoys riding her electric bike and is planning to explore all of Wisconsin’s state parks in 2024. 


jennifer tucker

Jennifer Tucker

Executive Assistant, Training Coordinator
Fort Community Credit Union

Jennifer has been a proud team member of Fort Community Credit Union in Fort Atkinson for seventeen years. She has worked in many different roles over the years but is currently working as the Executive Assistant/Training Coordinator for FCCU. Jennifer is a credit union supporter because of their desire to help others succeed financially and set up a future of great financial health for those who become members. She loves credit unions because they exist solely to better their communities and members’ lives. In Jennifer’s free time, she has created her own podcast on Spotify and a group on Facebook to help encourage women to support each other and grow together through personal development challenges and tips.


bernice valadez (1)

Berenice Valazez

IT Service Desk
Blackhawk Community Credit Union

Berenice works in the Information Technology Department at Blackhawk Community Credit Union and loves credit unions because they treat members like family, from helping you purchase your first vehicle to balancing your check book.


SOAR


alec adsit

Alec Adsit

Business Analyst
WCCU Credit Union

Alec works at WCCU Credit Union as a Business Analyst. In his day to day, he assists his team with discovering ideas that will help enhance member experience. He loves credit unions because of the people that make up them, with their collective commitment to cooperation among cooperatives. 


emily ruffini

Emily Ruffini

Mortgage Underwriter
Blackhawk Community Credit Union

Emily has been part of The Credit Union Movement for over fourteen years and is passionate about her work in real estate lending. She is currently responsible for managing risk while protecting the interests of members. She prides herself on making quality loan decisions, educating borrowers on market standards, providing a flawless credit transaction, and five-star member service. Emily and her husband have a nine-year-old son who keeps them busy with his travel baseball and football schedules, and she is proudly described as his superfan! 


janel thoune

Janel Thoune

SVP Marketing & Mission
CoVantage Credit Union

Janel loves that credit unions are deeply committed to helping people, especially those less fortunate. She has seen firsthand how dignity and hope can be restored to a person when decisions are made with the best interests of members, not shareholders, in mind and when credit unions are able to extend services to individuals when other financial institutions will not. In her spare time, she enjoys camping, fishing, and hiking with her family in Upper Michigan in the summertime.  


joanna mcginn

Joanna Mcginn

Data Analyst
Heartland Credit Union

Joanna only joined The Credit Union Movement a year ago at Heartland Credit Union, but has tremendously enjoyed the kindness, thoughtfulness, and all-around consideration she’s seen among her fellow employees and those throughout the industry. In her spare time, Joanna is an author and her first book, Orbit, is currently in beta reading. She’s very excited to have a chance to develop and present a novel product with her team. 


kristyl marten

Kristyl Marten

Call Center Member Advisor-Loan Specialist
Blackhawk Community Credit Union

Kristyl works for Blackhawk Community Credit union as a call Center Member Advisor- Loan Specialist. She loves credit unions because they treat their members like family.  In her spare time, she loves to travel to Door County as much as possible.  


Madeleine Vincent,

Madeleine Vincent 

Training & Development Specialist
Fort Community Credit Union

Madeleine is a Training & Development Specialist at Fort Community Credit Union and loves that credit unions are dedicated to their members and communities. She also started her own small boutique, Medusa Outfitters, in 2021. 


Questions? Contact Jennifer Esser, VP of Professional Development. 
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