2026 Annual Meeting and Election of Directors
An election for three places on the Board of Directors is scheduled on April 6, 2026, in conjunction with the UFCU Annual Meeting.
Chair of the Board Laura Kilcrease appointed a Nominating Committee chaired by Molly Beth Malcolm, Ed.D. The Committee nominated the following Members to serve as UFCU Directors for three-year terms: Leslie Blanke, Ph.D., Jason Kelley, M.B.A., and David Niesel, Ph.D.
UFCU Bylaws permit other nominations by petition if signed by 500 qualified Members and, together with a statement of qualifications and signed certificate stating the nominee is agreeable to such nomination and will serve if elected, is submitted to the office of the UFCU Director, Assurance Services by 5 PM Central Standard Time on January 21, 2026. A formal election will occur only if there exists one or more petition candidates. Bylaws do not allow nominations from the floor at the Annual Meeting when one or more candidates exist for each open position.
For more information about the election process, including how to obtain related documents, please contact the office of the UFCU Director, Assurance Services at (800) 252-8311 or (512) 467-8080 x 22312. For general inquiries, please email [email protected].
Annual Membership Meeting
Monday, April 6, 2026 | 5:30 PM
Attend virtually or in person at
UFCU Plaza Event Center | 8303 N MoPac Expy, Austin, TX
The following candidates have been nominated to fill a 3-year term to expire in 2029:
Leslie Blanke, Ph.D., has spent more than 19 years teaching in higher education at the undergraduate and graduate levels. She is an adjunct professor in the Munday School of Business at St. Edward’s University, where she teaches microeconomics, macroeconomics, law and economics, and industrial organization. She began her career in product-level financial analysis for Hallmark Cards and later entered litigation consulting through the Forensic and Litigation Services Practice of KPMG.
Dr. Blanke received a B.A. in economics from Tufts University and an M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from Southern Methodist University. A great supporter of education at all levels, Dr. Blanke has served on boards and committees at various academic institutions, including St. Edward’s University, Concordia University, St. Michael’s Catholic Preparatory School, and St. Austin’s Catholic School.
Jason Kelley is the IBM Strategic Partnerships General Manager. He is responsible for the strategy, revenue, and business performance of IBM strategic partnerships, building on a successful track record in blockchain, AI, IoT, 5G, and other emerging technologies globally across clients, industries, and network ecosystems. Kelley is also the IBM Texas Senior State Executive. In this role, he represents IBM in education and government relations advocacy and creates constituent relationships with key state government and community leaders. As a fortunate graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, he is honored to have had the privilege to serve with some of the most talented leaders in the world as a U.S. Army Infantry Airborne Ranger. In addition, Kelley earned an MBA from the Cox School of Business with a concentration in technology and entrepreneurship. He also contributes to IBM’s ongoing leadership in patents, holding three U.S. patents with others pending.
David W. Niesel, Ph.D., believes in the philosophy and outlook of the credit union movement and its Members-first focus. Dr. Niesel is currently an adjunct professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at UTMB Health. He is the former chief research officer, senior vice president, and dean of The University of Texas Medical Branch Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. At UTMB, he led his department to a top 10 ranking nationally among microbiology and immunology departments. Dr. Niesel is passionate about communicating science and medicine to the public and the co-creator of the award-winning Medical Discovery News, a syndicated national radio show, a newspaper column in three Texas newspapers and podcast broadcast. He holds four patents in molecular biology and microbiology and immunology technologies. He is an advocate for Habitat for Humanity in the community.
Dr. Niesel earned a B.A. in biological sciences from Quinnipiac University and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from North Carolina State University.