M FLD Conference Joins with Banking Interns for MEMORABLE EVENT BY JOSH MYERS, INDIANA BANKERS ASSOCIATION More than 200 future banking leaders gathered at the Renaissance Indianapolis North Hotel in Carmel on July 9-10 for a brand new take on the IBA Future Leadership Division’s annual two-day Leadership Conference. As in past years, the goal of the conference was to bring together emerging bank leaders from throughout the state for networking, leadership and professional development, and idea sharing through peer roundtables. A new twist this year brought in banking interns from throughout the state to take part in day one of the conference. Traditionally banking interns participated in their own intern day at the IBA office, but that event grew so much that it no longer fit at the office, so the idea to transform the IBA intern event into its own conference – merged with the FLD Leadership Conference – was born. Packed with nearly 110 FLD members – the most ever for this event – shoulder-to-shoulder with nearly 120 banking interns, the hotel’s large meeting space was filled with energy and enthusiasm. Attendees ranged from full-time bankers with 30-plus years of experience to banking interns with three months of experience, and all levels in between. Regardless of experience, all attendees came with a hunger to take their careers to the next level and meet new peers in the industry. IBA Vice President of Member Engagement Josh Myers kicked off the conference, welcoming the nearly 230 attendees to the event. After a brief summary of the Association and all its offerings, he invited attendees to continue engaging with the IBA after the conference as they journey throughout their banking career. Amanda Morris-Feldman, 2025 FLD Advisory Board president from First Federal Savings Bank in Rochester, then spoke to attendees and provided her perspective on the FLD, how it has benefited her and why others should join. She also encouraged everyone to connect with others in the room and dive deep into the speed roundtable discussions and strong lineup of speakers. The conference’s opening speaker, Joe Micallef, brought a fun approach to learning with an interactive session that inspired current and future bank leaders to be powerful coaches who can engage, enlighten and energize teams to embrace better approaches to achieving success. Next, attendees sat down for an enjoyable lunch to fuel up for the remainder of the day and connect with others at the conference. Dr. Minju Witte then explored the topic of business etiquette for every business situation, from email and phone to video calls and handwritten notes, so attendees could communicate with clarity, confidence and class, whether they are connecting with colleagues or clients. The next session was a breakout opportunity where FLD Conference attendees and IBA Intern Conference attendees separated for more targeted learning opportunities. FLD attendees spent the next hour and a half breaking into smaller groups for peer roundtable discussions on a variety of topics submitted by their fellow attendees. Interns gathered to hear from Chris Dietz of the Indiana Department of Financial Institutions as he discussed the state of Indiana banking so interns could get a grasp of the latest happenings in the industry. CJ McLanahan capped off the first day of education with a thought-provoking presentation that allowed participants to walk away with a renewed definition of success, tools to protect their mental and physical health, and practical strategies to lead a more focused, fulfilling life without compromising drive or ambition. FLD FOCUS 42 HOOSIERBANKER
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