Happy New Year, Everyone!
Every January, I get that fresh-start feeling. You know the one—a mix of excitement for what’s ahead and a frantic search for where I last put my coffee. After 18 years with this amazing association, that feeling never gets old. As I was thinking about my goals for 2026, one idea kept coming back to me: thoughtful connection.
This year, my focus is all about meeting you—our members—exactly where you are, whether that’s geographically, strategically or somewhere in between.
So, What Does That Look Like?
First, EPCOR is doubling down on the support and education you’ve told us you need. Fraud is a topic that keeps coming up, and frankly, it keeps me up at night, too. That’s why we’re launching a new Virtual Fraud Symposium in partnership with UMACHA and free fraud-focused roundtables in Lexington, Columbus, Overland Park and Oklahoma City.
It’s a chance for you to connect with peers, share what’s happening in the trenches and learn from each other. Selfishly, it also gives us a chance to hear directly from you so we can continue to build resources that actually help. On that note, we’re so proud of our certification Prep Programs (hello, higher-than-national-average scores!) that we’ve brought our AFPP Prep Program completely in-house to give it that EPCOR gold-standard treatment.
Now, let's talk about the fun stuff—seeing each other in person! We know how much you value networking, so we’re broadening the net. This spring, we’re taking the show on the road and venturing outside of Columbus to Indianapolis for our EPCOR Payments Conference! I can’t wait to see some new faces. And for a special treat this fall, we’re partnering with our friends at the U.S. Faster Payments Council in Kansas City for a whole week of payments fun. Get ready!
We’re also giving EPCOR Payments University a facelift. We’re pouring all our resources into one location—a new host hotel in Branson—to make the event more impactful and give you even more chances to connect with organizations of all shapes and sizes.
But what if you can’t travel or, like me, have the attention span of a gnat? I get it. That’s why we’ve rolled out new bite-sized monthly videos to keep you in the know. Just press play and listen while you knock other things off your to-do list. If you’d rather connect on socials, we’re now on Threads like the cool kids (don’t worry, we’re still on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram). We also have a new high-level newsletter, The Executive Ledger, designed for senior leaders who want the quick-and-dirty version of what’s happening in payments.
Behind the scenes, our tiny but mighty team is facing the same challenges you are. We’re also investing in our own technology to work smarter. Early this year, we’re debuting a new Learning Management System (LMS) that our Electronic Resource License users have been asking for—and it’s almost here! We’re also revamping our audit programs to make the experience better and allow our team to spend more quality time with you.
At the heart of everything we do is you, our members. But we couldn’t do any of it without our amazing staff. Supporting them so they can support you is one of my most important goals, always.
I am so incredibly excited for the year ahead. There is so much happening in payments and I’m a sucker for something fresh and new. I can’t wait to connect with you, whether it’s at an event, in a virtual roundtable or on social media. Let’s make 2026 a fantastic year together. Cheers!
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Ready to find out what lies ahead for payments in 2026? Payment Systems Update gives a behind-the-scenes look from instant payments expansion and ACH Rules updates to the newest fraud monitoring guidance. The tour kicks off in March, so be sure to get your ticket to join us in person or register virtually in April or May to keep your organization in sync with the latest in payments! |