Julie Esser is chief experience officer for CULedger, a credit union-owned CUSO that focuses on delivering the premier platform of digital exchange for financial cooperatives.

In this role, Esser oversees the customer experience, global communications, public affairs, corporate brand and events. In addition, she leads both the product and global market development strategies for the company.

Prior to her role as chief experience officer, Esser was a leading force in CUNA’s involvement with CULedger and played an instrumental role in creating the organization’s business plan and forming CULedger as a company. She also led the effort in launching CUNA’s “.CREDITUNION” top-level domain initiative, which is now available to all U.S. credit unions. Formerly, Esser served as vice president of alliance development for CUNA Strategic Services, an affiliate of CUNA.

As a member of CUNA Strategic Services’ leadership team, Esser was responsible for directing the entire development process from conception to implementation for new strategic alliance relationships. In this role, she developed 46 new strategic alliance relationships from 2003-2016, totaling more than $28 million in revenue. She also developed a business intelligence strategy that includes specific key performance measurements for the organization.

Esser earned a master’s certificate in Project Management from the University of Wisconsin Madison and attended Edgewood College in Madison.