Deadline Extended for Emerging Leader Award to Feb. 23

The application deadline for the 2026 Miriam Rivera Lieb Emerging Leader Award has been extended to Monday, February 23.

The Emerging Leader Award recognizes a next generation credit union leader who is dedicated to the credit union mission of making a difference in peoples' lives and has demonstrated the potential to be a leader.

Nominees must be young professionals 40 and under and employed by a credit union that is a member of the MD|DC Credit Union Association. Nominees will compete for a professional development package, sponsored by TruStage, which includes:

• Executive coaching - 3, one-hour sessions (winner) or 1, one-hour session (runners-up)
• Scholarships to Association conferences: CONNECT 2027, 2026 Tech Summit, YP Summit
• Airfare and accommodations to visit TruStage headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin
• Associate Board Member of the Credit Union Foundation of MD|DC (one-year term)
• Lunch with MD|DC Credit Union Association president/CEO John Bratsakis and winner's CEO

Nominees will answer the question: How can credit unions better position themselves as the best financial choice for consumers? Written and video submissions will be evaluated by a panel of judges with finalists' videos posted online for voting.

Finalists will present their ideas on stage during the Association's Annual Meeting & Convention June 2 in Ocean City, Md.

The Emerging Leader Award application is available here

The official rules are available here.