Who is Denise?

Denise R. Gabel is the Chief Innovation Officer at the Institute. Previously, Gabel served as Vice President – Strategic Direction for the Spokane Teachers Credit Union leading strategic planning, innovation, and corporate governance.

She is a summa cum laude graduate from Eastern Washington University and a 1995 high honors graduate of Western CUNA Management School. She is also a certified trainer for the Institute of Financial Education and a faculty member for CUNA’s Management Schools.  In May 2008, Denise completed Harvard Business School’s Executive Education Women’s Leadership Forum, a program that brings together an elite group of successful businesswomen to spearhead innovation and enhance leadership skills.

An in-demand speaker, Denise travels the nation encouraging credit union audiences to respond to the needs and wants of members, and transform ideas into innovative strategies to strengthen the credit union system. Her ideas are published in CUNA’s Management Enrichment Training Program and the Credit Union Mortgage Lending Strategies book, and the Filene Research Institute’s Key Findings: Innovation Through Collaboration and Key Findings: Blueprints for Innovation.
 
She lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her husband Dennis. When she’s not traveling, Denise can be found on the golf course improving her swing. 

You can download Denise's current bio and photo here.