2026 Synergent Connect Conference Agenda

Agenda subject to change. 

Tuesday, August 11

7:30 am-8:30 am:
Breakfast 

Enjoy networking and conversation over breakfast.

7:30 am-3:00 pm:
BankSocial Podcast

Join Jonathan Taylor from BankSocial for conversations that could be featured on a future podcast!

8:30 am-8:45 am:
Break

8:45 am-9:45 am:
Change Is Strength: Build Future-Ready Teams Through Transformational Change
Chris Ruden, Internationally Recognized Speaker on Resilience, Change, and Culture

“Only the strong survive” — but strength comes from adaptability. In today’s fast-paced world, change isn’t optional, it’s inevitable. Yet most teams are unprepared. In this impactful keynote, Chris Ruden, a leading change management speaker and DEI keynote expert, challenges teams to let go of outdated thinking and embrace the mindset required to lead in uncertainty.

Instead of relying on yesterday’s logic to solve tomorrow’s problems, Chris empowers audiences to develop forward-thinking change strategies rooted in resilience, adaptability, and trust. Through personal storytelling and actionable insights, Chris teaches teams how to:

• Reframe resistance to change as an opportunity for growth
• Let go of limiting beliefs and outdated processes
• Build psychological safety and trust to support organizational agility
• Develop a mindset for navigating disruption with clarity and confidence

This presentation is ideal for organizations seeking a transformational speaker to spark innovation, accelerate cultural change, and equip leaders with practical tools to guide their teams through disruption.

9:45 am-10:00 am:
Break

10:00 am-11:00 am:
TBD
Nicole Harper, Senior Director of Corporate Strategy & Planning – Jack Henry

Session description coming soon!

11:00 am-11:15 am:
Break

11:15 am-12:00 pm
Breakout Sessions
Presented by Alkami, Compass IT, and BankSocial

Whether you’re looking to exchange ideas, gain new insights, or simply expand your network, this event offers a collaborative space to learn from one another and move the credit union movement forward—together.

12:45 pm-1:30 pm:
Breakout Sessions – Round 1

Three breakout sessions will take place from 11:15 am-12:00 pm. You will have the option to select one to attend. Presenters from Alkami, Compass IT, and BankSocial will lead these breakout sessions. Speakers and session descriptions coming soon.

12:00 pm-1:00 pm:
Lunch

1:00 pm-1:45 pm:
Breakout Sessions – Round 2

Three breakout sessions will take place from 1:00-1:45 pm. You will have the option to select one to attend.

2:00 pm-3:00 pm:
AI & The Octopus Organization™
Jonathan Brill, Strategic Advisor, Inventor, Best-Selling Author, and Renowned Keynote Speaker

Firms that adopt AI holistically today will be the leaders of tomorrow.

The age of AI is upon us.

How can your business use it to grow?

Over the next five years, companies that fully integrate AI will pull significantly ahead of those that only experiment with it. Organizations willing to embrace change, evolve their thinking, and adapt quickly will define the future of their industries.

In a world of constant change, resilience is no longer enough. Organizations must evolve beyond endurance to agility—developing the capacity to sense market changes early, respond intelligently to customer needs, and adapt faster than competitors. Agility is not about moving faster; it’s about thinking faster—through decentralized intelligence, AI-augmented decisions, and empowered teams at every level.

This means rethinking the traditional hierarchical model and imagining an organization structured like an octopus. While it has a central brain for strategy and oversight, each arm has its own mini-brain—autonomous, responsive, and deeply aware of its market surroundings. A neural ring coordinates these nodes in real time, allowing the institution to make rapid, informed decisions across its entire system—often faster than the central brain could alone.

This isn’t theory. I’ve studied organizations already moving in this direction, guided dozens of transformations, and drawn on over a million workforce surveys. What I found is clear: success comes not from simply automating tasks, but from reimagining how organizations function at every level.

3:00 pm:
Adjourn