Austin, TX – The 2026 ALM First Financial Forum wrapped up on Wednesday after three days of engaging sessions focused on driving organizational success as attendees took advantage of networking opportunities set against the backdrop of idyllic Lady Bird Lake.
During the final day of the conference, panel discussions featuring industry experts and practitioners shared insights looking Inside the Deal: Lessons Learned from M&A, Building the Digital Credit Union of the Future, and Finishing Strong, Starting Stronger through thoughtful succession planning.
The M&A panel was moderated by ALM First’s Bob Drouin and included Matt Jernigan, CEO Ascend FCU, Mark Rigney, Board Chair Ascend FCU, Pam Nicholson, Board Vice Chair Wings CU, Dan Leclerc, EVP Revenue & CFO Wings CU, and Brandon Pelletier, Managing Director, M&A Advisory for ALM First. From having a clear strategy to a strong governance framework before beginning merger discussions to evaluating cultural alignment and bringing in the right external partner, panelists provided their best advice to set transactions up for success and maximize value for members.
ALM First’s Tom Sievewright moderated the digital strategy discussion with panelists Amanda Licona-Crocker of Swivel, Mike Atkins of Invictus Advisors and Kathy Courtney of Opmodi. Beyond creating an AI governance or steering committee to establish appropriate governance and guardrails, panelists encouraged attendees to take an AI maturity assessment to know where they are along the journey and aid in developing a comprehensive, sustainable plan that aligns with the organization’s values.
To close out this year’s Financial Forum, Deedee Myers, PhD and CEO of DDJ Myers, an ALM First Company, shared actionable insights regarding succession planning best practices. Jared Freeman, CEO of OnPath Federal Credit Union joined Deedee onstage to provide a personal case study on intentional succession planning aligned to organizational strategy, and developing leadership bench depth to drive longer horizon growth objectives.
This year, over 200 financial professionals attended the sold-out conference, which was designed to be the premier event for financial executives to discover insights, formulate strategies, and gain new perspectives about the coming year.
In addition to the 2026 Financial Forum’s general sessions, two separate education tracks, led by a variety of industry experts, delivered custom-tailored sessions to Executives and Board Members. These sessions covered a wide range of topics including asset liability management, hedging, investments, governance, and more.
Explore all of the educational resources ALM First offers by visiting almfirst.com and mark your calendars for the 2027 ALM First Financial Forum, which will be held next September in Santa Barbara, CA at The Ritz-Carlton, Bacara. Financial professionals interested in attending the 2027 conference are encouraged to complete an Early Interest Form and plan ahead to join ALM First next year.
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About ALM First
ALM First was founded in 1995 as a strategic partner for depositories, offering an array of financial advisory services. The firm’s expertise in asset liability management, investment management, balance sheet strategy, secondary market solutions, and specialty financial services, has allowed it to deliver deeper insights into financial institutions’ balance sheets, strengthening their performance and building efficiencies. With approximately $80 billion of investments under management (as of August 31, 2026), ALM First Financial Advisors is an SEC-registered investment advisor, acting as an unbiased third party, offering commission-free, fee-based services to over 300 financial institutions across the country.
In recent years, ALM First Group has expanded to include several wholly-owned subsidiaries including DDJ Myers, an ALM First Company and ALM First Executive Benefits, LLC. Driven by client needs, the firm now offers various services to help financial institutions optimize their greatest assets – their people.
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