©2026 Virginia Association of Community Banks (VACB) | The newsLINK Group LLC. All rights reserved. The Community Banker is published four times per year by The newsLINK Group LLC for VACB and is the official publication for this association. The information contained in this publication is intended to provide general information for review, consideration and education. The contents do not constitute legal advice and should not be relied on as such. If you need legal advice or assistance, it is strongly recommended that you contact an attorney as to your circumstances. The statements and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of VACB, its board of directors or the publisher. Likewise, the appearance of advertisements within this publication does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation of any product or service advertised. The Community Banker is a collective work, and as such, some articles are submitted by authors who are independent of VACB. While a first-print policy is encouraged, in cases where this is not possible, every effort has been made to comply with any known reprint guidelines or restrictions. Content may not be reproduced or reprinted without prior written permission. For further information, please contact the publisher at (855) 747-4003. 7 15 CONTENTS 4 PRESIDENT’S COLUMN Charting a Path Forward By Corey Connors, President & CEO, VACB 6 CHAIR’S MESSAGE Charting Our Course for a Thriving Future By Lisa E. Kilgour, EVP and Chief Operating Officer, MainStreet Bank 7 VACB 48th Annual Convention & Trade Show Coverage October 5-7, 2025 10 Exhibit Hall Prize Winners VACB 48th Annual Convention & Trade Show 11 Thank You 2025 Convention Sponsors! 12 Thank You Convention Exhibitors! 13 Empowering Emerging Leaders Through LeadFWD 15 From SEO to GEO Why Community Banks Must Lead in the Age of AI Search By Joe McMann, Co-Founder & CRO, Artificial Intelligence Risk Inc. 18 Your Board’s Cybersecurity Oversight Probably Isn’t Good Enough By Steve Sanders, Chief Risk Officer and Chief Information Security Officer, CSI 20 AI-Driven Elder Fraud Deepfakes: The Newest Threat By Terri Luttrell, CAMS-Audit, CFCS, Compliance and Engagement Director, Abrigo VACB Executive Committee CHAIR Lisa E. Kilgour MainStreet Bank Fairfax VICE CHAIR Dabney T.P. Gilliam Jr. Bank of Charlotte Co. Phenix PAST CHAIR Tara Y. Harrison Virginia National Bank Charlottesville TREASURER LeAnne R. Emert Benchmark Community Bank Kenbridge SECRETARY James E. Hendricks Jr. TowneBank Midlothian ICBA STATE DELEGATE Blake M. Edwards Jr. Skyline National Bank Independence PRESIDENT & CEO Corey J. Connors VACB Richmond VACB Board of Directors Cetric A. Gayles Citizens Bank & Trust Blackstone Aaron Green Pendleton Community Bank Harrisonburg Robert J. Hobbs CornerStone Bank Lexington Paul M. Mylum National Bank Blacksburg Thomas L. Rasey Jr. The Farmers Bank of Appomattox Appomattox Mark N. Reed Pioneer Bank Stanely Matthew H. Steilberg C&F Bank Toano VACB Staff Katharine C. Garner, CMP Vice President Education & Communications Kelli C. Mallinger Member Services Administrator 3 The Community Banker
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