EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE LEADING NEW MEXICO BANKERS FORWARD JOHN W. ANDERSON Executive Vice President New Mexico Bankers Association 2026 Annual Convention The NMBA held its 114th Annual Convention on Thursday, June 18 and Friday, June 19 in Santa Fe at the La Fonda Hotel. The convention’s theme was a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Route 66. Max Myers, NMBA president and lifetime resident of Santa Fe, wanted to showcase his hometown, and his efforts exceeded all expectations. The La Fonda is a fantastic venue for a convention. As you walk out the front entrance, you are only a few blocks from four major museums, limitless shopping and over 25 nearby restaurants. Our out-of-state attendees were overwhelmed by the charm of the city. We had two events prior to calling the convention to order. First, a golf tournament was held at the Black Mesa Golf Course in Española, a few miles outside of Santa Fe. The course was recently named one of the “Ten Most Spectacular Courses in the World” by LINKS Magazine. If you do play a game, make sure to bring plenty of golf balls. One of our golfers lost eight balls on one hole, but he wasn’t fazed because he was playing with range balls. It is a difficult, but fun, test for players of all skill levels. The second event was a cooking class at the Santa Fe School of Cooking. The class instructor was James Beard Award-winning chef and author Cheryl Jamison, and, not surprisingly, we had many attendees. A multicourse lunch was served, which was described by all participants as “superb.” During our President’s Dinner on Thursday evening, new NMBA Officers and Board Members were elected: • Aaron Emmert (Pioneer Bank) — President • Liz Earls (Capra Bank) — President-Elect • Scott Czarniak (First National 1870) — Treasurer • Rick Rowley (Bank of Clovis) — Board • Chez Steel (SW Capital Bank) — Board • Sheila Mathews (Four Corners Community Bank) — Board The dinner’s keynote speaker was Barbara McAneny, MD, CEO of New Mexico Oncology and Hematology Consultants Ltd., and former president of the American Medical Association. Her presentation, “The Health Care Crisis — Is There a Doctor in the House?” was excellent and incredibly informative. The second day of the convention featured four fantastic speakers. First, Srinivas Mukkamala, Ph.D., gave a thorough overview of artificial 6
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTg3NDExNQ==