Executive Director’s Message: All In for What Comes Next
Written by: Rachael DeLeon, Executive Director AFCPE®
It’s fall! My favorite season in the Midwest. The leaves are turning colors, sweaters are coming out of storage, and weekends are spent cheering on my kids from a soccer field or cross-country course. But those aren’t the only things I love about fall. For AFCPE, it’s a time when we gather with our members for the annual business meeting and with our larger community at the AFCPE Symposium.
At this year’s Business Meeting, we unveiled AFCPE’s new strategic plan. It reflects thoughtful community input and honest conversation about where we are headed, what this field needs from us next, and how AFCPE can continue strengthening the professionals who carry this work into communities every day.
You can already see that direction taking shape in this year’s Symposium theme – All In. The theme embodies what I have seen across AFCPE this year. A few recent highlights:
Partnership in Action
In September, AFCPE received a Power of Associations Summit Award from ASAE for the FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship, recognizing a 20-year mission-driven partnership that has helped 743 military spouses earn the AFC® credential while expanding access to financial education and support for more than 288,000 military families.
Advancing the Field
AFCPE submitted a formal letter to the Financial Literacy and Education Commission (FLEC), and several of our suggestions are reflected in the final U.S. National Strategy for Financial Literacy – including youth financial capability, digital financial literacy, scams and fraud education, saving and investing, research and evaluation, and the importance of trusted guidance to help people make informed financial decisions.
Expanding Education
FICO led AFCPE’s October professional development webinar, “Demystifying FICO Scores for Credit & Financial Counselors,” drawing more than 500 attendees. The session gave counselors, coaches, and educators practical tools to explain credit scores, address common misconceptions, and support consumer credit health.
Leading by Example
AFCPE’s Board reached 100% participation in annual giving, a meaningful show of support for the mission and the work ahead.
Connecting the Profession
With support from The Mark & Winnie Tibbs Foundation, AFCPE and the Financial Planning Association will host a reception for local AFC® and CFP® professionals at Symposium, helping to build referral relationships and strengthen collaboration so more individuals and families can be connected to the right support at the right time.
These are just a few examples of All In in action. And we’ll have more to share at our business meeting later this month.
As you gather with us this fall, I hope you will join us in being All In. Not just for our upcoming events, but for this profession and the people we serve. Come ready to share your expertise, bring your curiosity, listen to experiences different from your own, and stay open to new partnerships. The ideas and relationships we build at Symposium help carry this mission forward.
I cannot wait to celebrate what we are building together, and to begin this next chapter with you.
Rachael DeLeon is Executive Director of AFCPE. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
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