Marr and Knipfer Graduate from the Advanced School of Banking Kristin Marr, Retail Operations Manager, and Brenda Knipfer, Mortgage Manager, Citizens Bank of Kansas, Derby, recently graduated from the 2024-2025 Advanced School of Banking class. The Advanced School of Banking is an intense two-year course of study designed to assist bankers in developing operational and managerial skills to better serve the needs of their bank and communities. Graduation from this school represents over 60 hours of classroom study and 50 hours of independent study to complete banking research projects. “We prioritize the personal and professional advancement of our employees at CBK. We’re committed to investing in our staff and in doing so, our communities. We congratulate Brenda and Kristin on their graduation,” stated Stacy Gear, Citizens Bank of Kansas Chief Development Officer/SVP. The School of Banking is a jointly owned nonprofit subsidiary of the Kansas and Nebraska Bankers Associations, whose purpose is to provide occupational education for bankers. Partnership in Financial Literacy This past year, First Heritage Bank in Centralia, Kansas, partnered with the Centralia Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter to bring families in the community together for a fun evening of financial education at the Financial Literacy Night held at the Centralia Schools. When Lanette Hiltibrand, Vice President of First Heritage Bank, was asked if the bank would be interested in partnering with the FBLA chapter on a Partnership with Business project, “It was an absolute YES!” said Lanette. “At our first meeting, Isabel and MaKenna, FBLA chapter members, suggested the idea of a Financial Literacy Night for families to gather and learn about family finances with games, crafts, financial resources from our bank and a warm meal. As they provided different ideas for the event’s booths and the areas our staff members could give our expertise, I knew this was what the community needed and what community banking is all about.” The Financial Literacy Night reached over 100 individuals from the Centralia and Corning communities, while the FBLA members gained invaluable hands-on experience. The members worked through scheduling meetings between bank members and busy school schedules, gathering supplies and allocating workers for the event, marketing the event through flyers, radio broadcast and a newspaper publication, as well as surveying the K-6 grades to gauge their understanding of financial literacy. “Community banking is relationship banking. We enjoyed the opportunity to work alongside our youth to help educate our community and to build a stronger financial foundation for the future,” said Lanette. (L-R) MaKenna and Isabel, along with an additional member, Parker, turned the event into the focus of their Partnership with Business project, drafting reports and creating a presentation that they entered in the FBLA State Convention, where they placed first. Placing first at the state level qualified them for the National FBLA Convention in Anaheim, California, held in July, where they earned fourth place in their event. Brenda Knipfer Kristin Marr 21
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