PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Building the Banking Industry’s Next Generation Richard Baier President and CEO, Nebraska Bankers Association During visits with NBA member banks, our staff often begins by asking, “What issue is keeping you awake at night?” Across banks of every size and in communities both rural and urban, one concern consistently tops the list: developing, attracting and retaining the talent our member banks need to remain competitive and profitable. As Nebraska emerged from the COVID lockdowns, the NBA Board of Directors directed staff to develop a strategy that would position banking as the career of choice for a larger, more diverse group of young Nebraskans. The Board subsequently approved funding for a comprehensive workforce strategy, resulting in the NBA’s “Bank on Your Future” workforce development initiative. Thanks to the work of NBA staff and the support of members across the state, your NBA team now actively engages students from high school through college. The work of the Bank on Your Future team is highlighted on two websites: 1. nebankers.org/workforce Provides member banks with practical information on how to participate in these workforce initiatives. We continue to update the website to keep it useful for human resources teams. Please contact the NBA to explore additional ways your institution can get involved. 2. bankonyourfuture.org Helps students explore banking careers, career fairs, scholarships and internships, as well as NBA student memberships. We encourage your bank to share this site when engaging with students and parents, visiting classrooms and making community presentations. Building on its outreach to future bankers at educational institutions across Nebraska, the NBA team also sought new ways to support the next generation of bankers already beginning their careers. For more than a decade, the NBA has maintained a Young Bankers of Nebraska (YBON) subcommittee of the Education Advisory Committee and sponsored the annual YBON Conference. This event routinely attracts more than 200 talented bankers from institutions of all sizes, representing communities from Falls City to Gordon and many places in between. The NBA’s Next Generation Engagement Coordinator, Jess Mumm, greeted students who stopped by the booth during a Meet the Bankers event at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 6 NEBRASKA BANKER
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