Pub. 16 2019 Issue 3

4 O V E R A C E N T U R Y : B U I L D I N G B E T T E R B A N K S - H E L P I N G N E W M E X I C O R E A L I Z E D R E A M S A s part of my message, I have in - cluded an interview with Elizabeth Earls, business banking relation - ship manager at U.S. Bank. Liz has been most instrumental in the creation and success of the NMBA Internship Program. So, we thought that there would be no one better to discuss the program: 1. The NMBA gave you great cred- it for getting the internship pro- gram underway and shepherding it through the first two summer sessions. What motivated you to become involved and request the NMBA to initiate the program? We all feel it in our industry - the allure of a banking career isn’t necessarily as prominent as it might have been in the past. Today, we are required to be increasingly more proactive in building bench strength to ensure that we have the right talent in place to carry on the legacy of our amazing institutions, while best positioning ourselves to remain relevant in a rapidly chang - ing industry. When you hear your chief financial officer say that a top concern of his is that fewer and fewer college graduates are interested in a career in banking, to the point that virtually no one in a particular graduating business school class expresses an intention of exploring banking as a desired field, you find yourself motivated to do something about it. An idea to engage local college students was discussed with U.S. Bank Regional President, Paul DiPaola and U.S. Bank V.P., Dennis Garcia. If you know Paul, you know that he is wired to think big, and he takes the initiative to act. The idea was further shaped and brought to John Anderson and Mike Lowrimore, who were gra - cious enough to elect to pursue the concept. We got the right group together, and the momentum naturally brought us to where we were able to initiate a viable program to be led by the NMBA. 2. How does the program work? Recruitment, role of the Anderson School. Number of students, men- tor’s role, an average day for an intern, Dennis Garcia’s role, credit hours, etc.? From a logistics and strategic perspective, we are just shy of year-round activity. Here is what the year looks like: EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE JOHN W. ANDERSON, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT New Mexico Bankers Association We all feel it in our industry - the allure of a banking career isn’t necessarily as prominent as it might have been in the past. Internship Program, BankPAC and Social Security Taxation