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Financial Well Being

State Government Affairs Conference

Financial Well Being
Jan 27 7:45 AM - Jan 27, 2026 5:30 PM
Jan 27, 2026 7:45 AM - 5:30 PM
MadisonWI
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Description

Be an active credit union participant and influencer on issues directly impactingState GAC 2026 logo Wisconsin credit unions! Join us at our annual State Government Affairs Conference on January 27, 2026 with hundreds of your credit union peers. This is your opportunity to represent your credit union and members before lawmakers. Let your voice be heard! 

Also, make sure to join us the night before for the WCULAF Fundraiser on January 26, 2026.

 

Make your hotel reservations now. Hilton Madison Monona Terrace Hotel Online booking link - Expires Jan 6 - $159 plus taxes and fees 
Guests can also call Hilton reservations at 800-445-8667 or call the hotel directly at 608-255-5100 and reference the group code: CREDIT. 

 

Agenda

Monday, January 26

6:30pm – 9:30pm
WCULAF Fundraiser Yard Game Showdown
Don’t miss out on this night of laughs, games and camaraderie while supporting WCULAF. Sign Up!

*Tentative agenda – subject to change.

Tuesday, January 27

7:45am – 8:45am
Registration & Breakfast, Monona Terrace  

8:00am – 8:30am
Meeting Lead Briefing (Meeting Leads will receive a separate email with details)
Shelby Schmudlach | Associate Director of Advocacy & State Affairs | Wisconsin Credit Union League

8:45am – 9:00am
Welcome Address
Sarah Wainscott, League President & CEO | Wisconsin Credit Union League

9:00am – 9:30am
Legislative Meeting Briefing 

9:30am – 9:45am
Break 

9:45am – 10:30am
Breakout Sessions 

A – First Time Attendee Session
Shelby Schmudlach, Associate Director of Advocacy & State Affairs | Wisconsin Credit Union League

B – Federal Advocacy Session
Dave Groshek, Director of Advocacy & Federal Affairs | Wisconsin Credit Union League
10:30am
Group walks to Capitol 

10:45am
Group Photo in Rotunda 

11:00am – 12:30pm
Legislative Visits, State Capitol  

12:30pm –1:30pm
Networking Lunch and Meeting Debrief, Monona Terrace 

1:30pm – 3:00pm
Legislative Visits, State Capitol  

3:00pm – 4:00pm
Closing Keynote, Monona Terrace 
Craig Gilbert, Lubar Fellow | Marquette University Law School, Political Journalist and Author 

4:00pm – 5:30pm
Reception with Legislators & Community Partner Showcase, Monona Terrace 

Additional Info

Speakers

Craig Gilbert

Lubar Fellow | Marquette University Law School, Political Journalist and Author

Craig Gilbert is the recently retired Washington Bureau Chief and national political reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He has covered every presidential campaign since 1988 and chronicled Wisconsin’s role as the nation’s most enduring political battleground. 

Gilbert has written extensively about the battle for the swing states of the industrial Midwest, the region’s shifting political map, its increasingly polarized political culture and the deepening urban-rural divide. 

His work has been recognized by Editor & Publisher, the National Press Foundation, the National Headliner Awards, the Milwaukee Press Club, and the Columbia Journalism Review, which called him the “most political science friendly reporter in America.” 

Gilbert was a Knight-Wallace fellow at the University of Michigan; a writer in residence at the University of Wisconsin and is a current and past fellow at the Lubar Center. 

Gilbert previously worked for the Miami Herald, the Kingston (NY) Daily Freeman and was a speechwriter for New York Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan. He has a B.A. in History from Yale University. 

Shelby Schmudlach

Associate Director of Advocacy & State Affairs | The League
Shelby focuses her expertise on grassroots advocacy, lobbying, and political fundraising for Wisconsin's credit unions. Additionally, she currently serves on the American Association of Credit Union League’s Legislative Strategy Work Group and on the Wisconsin Coalition on Student Debt. Prior to her time at The League, Shelby spent seven years working on policy, the state budget, and constituent cases for Wisconsin State Senators while also serving as Committee Clerk and on the Wisconsin Women’s Council. 

Dave Groshek

Director of Advocacy & Federal Affairs | The League
Dave is responsible for advancing Wisconsin credit unions' ability to best serve their members and communities through effective lobbying, grassroots advocacy, fundraising, and strategic communications. He leads federal lobbying efforts for The League while collaborating with America's Credit Unions, leagues, and partners on federal priorities. Additionally, Dave assists in state lobbying efforts in the Wisconsin State Capitol and executive agencies while leading grassroots development and elevating political fundraising.

Prior to joining The League in 2025, Dave had over 18 years of experience working in Wisconsin politics and government. This includes the last 13 years working in the Wisconsin State Legislature, where he advised members of the Assembly and Senate on legislation and policy, communication strategy, and outreach efforts. Dave earned a bachelor's degree in Public Administration and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Sarah Wainscott

President & CEO | The League
For fifteen years, Sarah has served The League through various advocacy roles, culminating in the start of her tenure as President & CEO in January 2025. Her experience and expertise include lobbying, grassroots advocacy, political fundraising, and serving as Wisconsin credit unions' spokesperson on policy with legislators and regulators in Madison & Washington, D.C.  

In Sarah's time at The League, she has established reliable and strategic key relationships with influential policymakers that have helped elevate credit unions' impact. She has helped pass bills updating credit union statutes, requiring financial literacy credits for high school graduation, and permitting prize-linked-savings programs while also preventing the introduction or serious consideration of harmful proposals. Notably, she also developed the annual Wisconsin Credit Union Scorecard into a preeminent and persuasive resource on the power of The Credit Union Movement in Wisconsin. As a result of these tireless advocacy efforts, public support for Wisconsin's credit unions has grown by 19% since 2010.

Sarah is an Association of Wisconsin Lobbyists' board member and serves on the Inaugural Advocacy Committee for the American Association of Credit Union Leagues. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and communication arts and a master's degree in public affairs from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
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Event Type

In-Person
Register

Fees

$199 | State GAC Conduit, YP Early Bird & YP Early Bird Guest through Jan 6, 2026

$229 | Early Bird Regular, Early Bird Guest Regular, YP Regular & YP Guest Regular through Jan 6, 2026

$259 | Regular & Regular Guest

$109 | A First-Time State GAC Attendee registers for only $109 with each CEO/President registration.  This Welcome Rate also applies to new CEOs. 1 per credit union. Email registration@theleague.coop or call 608-640-4072 to take advantage of this opportunity.

Location

Monona Terrace & State Capitol 
One John Nolen Drive
Madison, WI

Hilton Madison Monona Terrace Hotel Online booking link - Expires Jan 6

$159 plus taxes and fees 

Guests can also call Hilton reservations at 800-445-8667 or call the hotel directly at 608-255-5100 and reference the group code: CREDIT.