Episode Details

“Be willing to fail, own it, pivot, and try the next thing. Because you’re going to win more than you fail.” – Michael Wilson 

Welcome to episode 241 of The CUInsight Experience podcast with your hosts, Randy Smith, co-founder of CUInsight, and Jill Nowacki, co-founder, president and CEO of Zealyst.

This episode is sponsored by Trellance. Trellance is a leading technology partner for credit unions, delivering innovative technology solutions to help credit unions achieve more. With a comprehensive suite of analytics, cloud and talent solutions, the Trellance team ensures credit unions increase efficiency, manage risk, and improve member experience. Learn more at Trellence.com!

In this 2026 season, Jill and I will have conversations centered around leadership, credit unions, and living our best lives. We will have some of the most respected leaders from around credit unions who we are grateful to call friends join us in the discussion from time to time too.

For this episode, we are happy to be joined by Michael Wilson, President & CEO of Members 1st Federal Credit Union in Pennsylvania. He joins us for this episode to help us take on what it means to “see around corners” as a leader. After all, none of us can predict the future, but some leaders really seem to have a knack for recognizing when something is changing, separating meaningful signals from noise, and getting their organizations ready before everyone else catches up, and Michael brings a truly fascinating perspective to the conversation.

Coming from a marketing background and now leading a large credit union, Mike has embraced technology, AI, and new approaches to growth while remaining focused on something that he personally considers non-negotiable: bringing people along for the ride. We talk about how he filters through all those “squirrels” running around in the industry, determines which emerging trends deserve attention, and creates a safe environment for experimentation.

The three of us also get into the very real friction that can build up inside an organization. Mike shares how Members 1st went from having 479 systems to identifying and automating more than 500 processes that associates themselves said were slowing them down. For Michael, making work easier isn't simply an exercise of efficiency; it gives people more time to do the work that matters.

Then, we get into why Mike believes that AI governance needs to be an enterprise responsibility rather than something handed off to the CIO. He discusses how his credit union built an AI sandbox and even how AI avatars became part of a board strategic planning retreat. More importantly, we explore why “just because you can doesn't mean you should” is such an important principle when experimenting with new technology.

Finally, we discuss curiosity, the importance of being willing to say, “I was wrong,” and what leaders can do to leave their credit unions stronger than they found them. This is truly a conversation about looking forward without losing sight of the people and purpose that make the journey worthwhile, so we hope that you enjoy our conversation with Michael Wilson!

Find the full show notes on cuinsight.com.

Connect with Michael:
Michael Wilson, President & CEO of Members 1st Federal Credit Union
members1st.org
Michael: Central Penn Business Journal
Members 1st Federal Credit Union: