Press Releases

Cornerstone League and Heartland Credit Union Association Legally Merged Jan. 1, 2023

PLANO, TEXAS, Jan. 20, 2023 – Cornerstone League welcomed 2023 as a newly combined organization, having now merged with Heartland Credit Union Association (HCUA). In October 2022, 93% members from both organizations voted in favor of the merger.

“We accomplished something great in 2022 by making it possible to combine forces, and now we have the chance to lift our organization and our member service even higher,” said Caroline Willard, Cornerstone League president and CEO. “Now that our teams are successfully combined, we will continue to be guided by our commitment to our members’ success. Together with our expanded team and membership, Cornerstone League will achieve scalability and unprecedented value proposition.”

Tana Hoffman, Tim Loveless, and Daylene Wittman continue to be the point of contact for Kansas and Missouri credit unions. Lisa Althoff-Simmons now serves in a general counsel role and joined the executive management team at Cornerstone.  

Michael Murray and Ian Dunlap will lead state and federal advocacy efforts in Kansas and Missouri, respectively. Karen Baker and Sarah Easley joined the compliance department.  

Anna Neuner joined the education and events team; Susan Dyer and Nora Revie added to the Cornerstone communications team; and Brittany Ellis and Bridget Bowles joined the marketing team.  

Tyrel Brown joined the finance team and Pat Behnen will continue in an administrative role. 

On the Cornerstone Resources side, Mark Hohenstein will lead the shared branching product for Kansas and Missouri, and Belinda Muck joined the audit and consulting department. The Cornerstone Foundation expanded with Beth Falkenstein joining the Foundation staff.

The Cornerstone engagement team will conduct town hall orientation meetings in January to welcome Kansas and Missouri members.

For merger details – including a timeline and archived articles – visit the merger FAQ page on the Cornerstone website. 

About Cornerstone League
Cornerstone League is among the nation’s largest regional credit union trade associations, serving approximately 700 credit unions in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. Cornerstone exists to advance the success of credit unions in the region through legislative and grassroots advocacy; regulatory and compliance support; training, educational, and networking opportunities; essential communications related to news and information affecting the credit union industry; and other products and services that establish Cornerstone as the essential partner for credit unions. For more information, visit cornerstoneleague.coop.