Highlights From VeleraLIVE 2026

By: Tom Pierce, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Velera

An action-packed VeleraLIVE 2026 was hosted April 13-15 in Orlando, Fla., gathering a record crowd of more than 2,000 credit union leaders, industry partners, media, and Velera team members. 

The dynamic three-day event, held at the Orlando World Center Marriott, delivered outstanding content, wonderful networking and collaboration opportunities, standout keynote speakers, and great live entertainment.

Here are some of the key highlights and takeaways from VeleraLIVE 2026.

Velocity for a New Era Continues with Upcoming Leadership Transition

Velera President/CEO Chuck Fagan kicked off the official programming with his keynote presentation, discussing his recent retirement announcement and reflecting upon his last 11 years at the helm. Other key topics from Fagan's keynote included:

• A reminder about Velera's purpose, Fagan shared that Velera is bigger than any one individual, and its purpose remains the same. This will continue when current Velera Chief Administrative Officer Brian Caldarelli takes the helm as president/CEO on Oct. 1.

• Fagan also shared an update on Velera's financial health, revealing that record revenue was achieved in FY25. Key investments continued in infrastructure, technology, and the products this cooperative needs to compete long-term, which is wonderful news despite the difficult and uncertain financial environment we've all been navigating.

• Fagan shared an update on the integration efforts, noting that Velera has made excellent progress, about 2.5 years into the process, and that they are even ahead of schedule in many areas. 

• Fagan introduced the Velera Ecosystem, which Velera's credit unions helped shape. The ecosystem will power analytics, decisioning, fraud, payments, digital member experiences, and everything Velera builds going forward. 

• Then, Fagan provided an update on Velera's Product Journey, launched two years ago to modernize its product offerings and meet the rapidly evolving needs of credit unions and their members. The impact of many of their product evolutions is just starting to be felt and will be meaningful improvements in how credit unions operate every day. 

• Fagan concluded his presentation with a heartfelt thank-you to all attendees for making his journey with Velera the honor of his career. 

A Future Centered in Inspired Service 

After Fagan's keynote, Brian Caldarelli and Cathie Tierney, president/CEO of Community First Credit Union and chair of Velera's board of directors, joined him on stage for a fireside chat about the upcoming leadership transition. 

Tierney shared insight into how long this transition has been in the works and described the process and Velera's board's involvement. Caldarelli discussed his areas of focus, noting that service will be a hallmark of his tenure. He reminded attendees that at its core, Velera is a service organization. Caldarelli also shared a heartfelt personal story about the impact credit unions had on his family, reinforcing his commitment to the movement.   

Impactful Keynotes from Star-Studded Speakers

Following Fagan's address and his fireside chat with Caldarelli and Tierney, Erica Dhawan, a leading authority on 21st-century teamwork, collaboration, and innovation, took the stage. Dhawan shared how to unlock the creative power of teams, build a culture of trust across any distance, and create authentic engagement to ensure competitiveness, all of which is important in the increasingly digital world, where working practices are changing at a blistering pace. 

Next up was the "Velera Revealed: The Ecosystem Redefining What's Possible" panel. Hosted by Velera EVP and Chief Product & Technology Officer Denise Stevens, the panel featured Cody Banks, SVP of product experience and enablement; Pam Broadsack, SVP of product technology delivery; Jeremiah Lotz, SVP of enterprise data & experience design; and Karen Postma, SVP of risk solutions. The group discussed details about Velera's new Stellaris ecosystem, including deeper dives into Atmos Data, the neural data network that harmonizes data intelligence inside our solutions, enables AI and powers our product universe to create smarter, connected experiences; Atmos Risk, a unified fraud ecosystem that blends real-time intelligence and expert insight, protecting credit unions without sacrificing member experience; and Atmos Payments, a holistic network of payment channels that provides security, flexibility and choice, enabling credit unions to move money and meet their members where they are seamlessly. Their insights focused on how Stellaris and Atmos were shaped alongside Velera's credit unions, designed to meet their needs today and in the future. 

Valuable Insights from Panel of Credit Union Executives

On day three, industry veteran Mark Sievewright moderated our credit union executive panel, which provided firsthand insights focused on the latest industry trends, including credit union mergers and scale, artificial intelligence, and regulatory impacts. Panelists included Mirella Reznic, president/CEO of Farmers Insurance FCU (Burbank, Calif.); Ken Senus, president/CEO of St. Mary's Bank (Manchester, N.H.); Mike Valentine, president/CEO of BCU (Vernon Hills, Ill.); and Caroline Willard, president/CEO of Cornerstone League (Plano, Texas). 

Action-Packed Content for Al

Following the panel, futurist Mike Walsh, founder and CEO of Tomorrow, a global innovation consultancy, spoke about how they should be rethinking technology — specifically AI — and its impact on work and life. He outlined how leaders can transform data into value, reshaping decision-making, automation, and consumer engagement in our increasingly AI-driven world. 

Then, Fagan sat down with Scott Simpson, president/CEO of America's Credit Unions, for a fireside chat about the current state of the credit union industry. Their discussion covered the evolving regulatory environment and the importance of advocacy. 

In the closing keynote, Fagan had an entertaining and candid conversation with the G.O.A.T of professional football himself, 7x Super Bowl champion and entrepreneur Tom Brady. Their discussion was filled with many interesting insights from his legendary career. 

VeleraLIVE also featured breakout sessions led by industry experts, credit union leaders, and Velera subject matter experts, covering a wide range of topics, including optimizing credit, debit, and checking, and how Gen Z is redefining payments; and from API integration to fintech partnerships, as well as several sessions about AI.

At the VeleraLIVE Solution Showcase, attendees explored the new Velera Ecosystem and saw how Velera solutions could help their credit union, whether by protecting their members, optimizing operations, creating connected member experiences, or growing their credit union. The Showcase included the Velera and Partner Studios, which featured our solutions and hot topics from our trusted partners, as well as an Emerging Services section that highlighted their latest innovations and offered opportunities to meet their fintech partners. 

VeleraLive's closing party featured GRAMMY® award-winning musician, lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish, and solo artist, Darius Rucker. His high-energy performance was the perfect close to an outstanding event.