2023 Cooperative Conference
March 13-14, 2023
Chetola Resort, Blowing Rock, NC
Our annual conference was a great success — again!
If you joined us in March at Chetola Resort in Blowing Rock, we hope you also had a great time learning and networking with fellow cooperators.
This year's conference was all about Member Experiences! Take a look at what the 2023 conference agenda entailed, as well as materials from the event below.
Donald Barnes, Ph.D.
Professor of Marketing, UNC Wilmington
Dr. Barnes is the Hendrick Fellow and researcher for the Center for Sales Excellence and Customer Delight. He has studied the causes and consequences of customer delight from the perspective of the firm, the employee and the customer. His research has been published in top marketing journals including European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Service Research, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Service Management, Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, Journal of Services Marketing, Journal of Service Theory and Practice, as well as others.
Kelli Holloway
SVP of Outreach, SECU
Kelli oversees financial education, community involvement and volunteer engagement efforts for SECU, and serves as Financial Wellness Coordinator for the Credit Union and oversees projects and presentation efforts. She helps to train employees statewide on community engagement. Kelli received the 2022 Commitment to Change Leadership Professional of the Year Award by the African-American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC) during the organization’s inaugural Commitment to Change: Young Professional Leadership Awards ceremony.
Mia Vista Perez
SVP Culture & Employee Experience, SECU
Mia received her bachelor’s degree in public relations from Tulane University, a master’s degree in Leadership and HR Development from LSU and is a graduate of CUNA Marketing Management School where she is currently an instructor. She previously served as the Chair of CUNA's Marketing & Business Development Council Executive Committee. Mia is also host of the Leadership Experiment with Royce and Mia podcast.
Cathy Statz
Outreach Specialist, ICCM at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Canada
As an advocate for the cooperative education of youth, Cathy spent over 25 years as education director and camp director for Wisconsin Farmers Union and continues to serve as co-coordinator of the National Farmers Union College Conference on Cooperatives (CCOC). She also supports the Cooperative Development Foundation in the United States on projects including the Cooperative Leaders and Scholars (CLS) program. Cathy serves on the boards of the Ralph K. Morris Foundation and the InSPIREation Foundation. She is a member of Cooperative Communicators Association (CCA) and is a member and past president of the Association of Cooperative Educators (ACE).
Jeff Brooks
Lead of NCBIO's Infrastructure Team
Jeff's team is responsible for NCBIO's Continuing Access to Broadband (CAB) and the Last Mile Program. Prior to joining the NCBIO team, Jeff was the Sr. Director of Consulting for ECC Technologies working with counties on broadband projects from New York to Florida. He also has worked with electric cooperatives from New York to Georgia. In North Carolina, Jeff has worked with the Albemarle, Mid-East, Land of Sky, Southwestern and Lumber River Councils of Government, numerous counties, as well as electric cooperatives. He attended ECU for undergraduate studies and NCSU for graduate studies.