6 Hoosier Banker September 2015 Amber R. Van Til, executive vice president of the Indiana Bankers Association, has completed the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin (GSB). In operation since 1945, GSB provides advanced financial management education over the course of an intensive 25-month program. Van Til joined the IBA in 2002 as lobbyist for the Community Bankers Association of Indiana. She was promoted to vice president-government relations in 2005, to senior vice presidentgovernment relations in 2012 and to her current position in June 2015. Van Til is a graduate of the University of Indianapolis and earned a JD from the Robert H. McKinney School of Law. Also among IBA staff, S. Joe DeHaven, president and chief executive officer, and Rod Lasley, vice presidentproducts & services, have earned GSB diplomas. A complete list of Indiana graduates of the 2015 GSB will be available in the October Hoosier Banker. t FEATURE President’s Ponderings S. Joe DeHaven, President & Chief Executive Officer, Indiana Bankers Association Her name was Judy Angel ‒ “Mrs. Angel” to those of us fortunate enough to be her students. By the time I was a senior in high school, I had already been under her tutelage for a couple of years. During that senior year, Mrs. Angel would frequently admonish us with, “You are not ready for the real world!” Of course she was right, and of course we did not believe her. As a matter of fact, we laughed at her lack of confidence in us, though we all respected Mrs. Angel as a person and a teacher. We simply thought she was underestimating us and our station in life at the time. Less than a year later, at Ball State University, I was assigned to write a freshmen college theme paper about a blade of grass, or something like that. Finally I understood what Mrs. Angel meant, and I actually returned to my old high school to find her and report that she was absolutely correct in her assessment of us ‒ we weren’t ready for the real world! I even urged her to keep pounding that message home to her seniors. As an aside, whatever limited writing talent that I have today can be attributed to Mrs. Angel and that frustrating freshman writing class I suffered through in college. Recently I was reminded of Mrs. Angel when pondering one of the concerns identified during our strategic planning retreat a couple of years ago. IBA officers, directors and staff spent a significant amount of time trying to determine how we could help prepare the next generation of banking leaders, who would soon be standing at the helms of Indiana institutions. It was a valid concern two years ago and may still be, in some banks. However I am encouraged to have witnessed many times in the past couple of years the progress of very bright, very capable young people who are readying to take the banking mantle and run with it. Last month I had the privilege to attend several classes at the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin. I have attended GSB many times before, and I always come away impressed at the level of competence displayed by the up-and-coming bankers I meet. During the past few years, I have watched young bankers assuming authority throughout Indiana, and I have been amazed at how quickly they have grown into their positions. These talented young people are “ready for the real world,” and I am not nearly as concerned about the future leadership of banking today as I was a scant two years ago. As for Mrs. Angel, she steadfastly remained in touch with many of her students following graduation from high school and college, and eventually she became “Judy Angel” to us after we began our careers. She must have been proud of how we had finally gotten ready for the real world, and of how she had contributed to that preparedness. Judy Angel was only 10 to 15 years older than my classmates and me. Sadly, she died when she was in her early 40s. She did, at least, live to see some of her students start on successful career paths. I feel a little like how my high school English teacher must have felt. I am now seeing the next generation of bank leaders emerge, and they will soon be taking over as the senior managers at banks in Indiana and across the country. They are ready for the real world, thanks in large part to the good teachers and mentors who helped along the way. Their legacy will live on, just as the legacy of Judy Angel lives on in those of us who were privileged to know her and learn from her. Thank you, Mrs. Angel ‒ you certainly were appropriately named! Judy Moore (left), retired banker from First National Bank of Kokomo, congratulates daughter Amber Van Til, Indiana Bankers Association, for earning a diploma from the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin (GSB). Moore is a member of the GSB class of 1989. VanTil Earns GSB Diploma
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