6 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018 Last year in this column, I thanked you for giving me the opportunity to serve the Indiana Bankers Association as president and CEO. I also listed several goals that we were aiming to accomplish during 2017. Due to your strong support of the Association, those goals have been met. One goal was to host a women’s conference in the fall. In November, we did indeed host a Banking on Women Conference, with hopes of drawing about 100 attendees to the inaugural event. Instead a crowd of 300 women joined in IBA’s first-ever women’s conference, soaking in the message of “Imagine, Believe, Achieve.” Plans are already underway for the second annual women’s conference this November. We also planned to move IBA headquarters in 2017 to a new location large enough to consolidate the main office with our government relations needs. That move took place in July, and we are now happily located at 8425 Woodfield Crossing Blvd., Suite 155E, in northeast Indianapolis. If you haven’t yet visited your new home, please come visit soon. Another goal met was staff professional development throughout 2017, with a final wrap-up scheduled in early 2018. The IBA was fortunate to work with Chorus Inc., a company recommended by Chairman Clay Ewing, and we could not have been more pleased in discovering ways to go from good to great in serving our valued members. Chorus Inc. also played into another IBA goal last year, which was to engage in strategic planning with current and past board members. This planning took place in October in a tucked-away location near Nashville, Indiana, for two productive days of intensive discussion and planning. One theme that came up, over and over again, was that bankers are hungry to “tell our story.” Which brings me to a very important goal for 2018. The IBA communications department will be reaching out to members, inviting opportunities for the IBA to create videos that tell your story of your community commitment. You have good-news stories to share, and we would like to help. Your good-news story might be a group of employees at your bank who regularly help at a local soup line. Or you might have staff who are reaching youth through financial literacy instruction. Or perhaps you have a business client whose dream came true through the loan you made and the guidance you provided. There is no end to the good-news stories of bank community commitment, and the IBA is eager to tell your story. If you have suggestions for banking stories to tell, please send them to Laura Wilson at lwilson@indianabankers.org. Amber R. Van Til President and CEO Indiana Bankers Association avantil@indianabankers.org @grbanker VANTAGE VIEWPOINTS Related to telling your story of community commitment is telling the larger story of industry views. Last year, the IBA distributed three op-eds to Indiana media, the most recent covering the benefits of the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act, and thanking Sen. Joe Donnelly for his support of it. That op-ed was published by five Indiana newspapers. We will continue to distribute op-eds this year to make your voice heard. Looking forward, another goal for 2018 is the establishment of the IBA Leaders in Banking Excellence awards, as shown on page 3. These awards give your bank the opportunity to honor those individuals who helped lead your organization and community to excellence. Please consider who you would like to honor – a current or past president, director or other bank associate – who deserves credit for making a lasting mark on your institution. For details, please contact Rod Lasley at rlasley@indianabankers.org. Now, with our sights set on the future, a major goal for the year is helping Chairman Ewing bring to life his vision of establishing a university banking major in Indiana. He addresses that plan in the Chairman’s Report on the facing page and also in this month’s cover story. Currently the IBA is exploring ways to establish an internship program to work in tandem with the plans for a banking major. As with any organization, many of our current goals are to build upon past successes. We look forward to serving you in 2018 with a new round of familiar activities: the Legislative Briefing and Reception on Jan. 30, the Future Leadership Division Day at the Statehouse on Feb. 13, the Mega Conference May 1-3, and the many other IBA offerings you have come to know. Also looking to the future, I’d like to welcome Kirby Drey to his new role as FLD president for 2018-19. He follows in the capable footsteps of Kristin Marcuccilli, who did much to grow the FLD, which now has more than 200 members. Kirby shares some insights in his Board Review on page 8. As we embark on our goals and aspirations for 2018, I thank you again for entrusting me with this opportunity to serve you. As 2017 was my first year as president and CEO, it was a learning experience in many ways. One lesson I learned and hold dear is that I am extremely fortunate to be working with the Indiana banking community. The bankers of Indiana are the finest of professionals, who work hard every day to make the future better and brighter for others. HB
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTg3NDExNQ==