KBA Announces 2024 BLOK Class ow in its 18th year, the Bank Leaders of Kansas (BLOK) Program is a leadership development program coordinated by the Kansas Bankers Association. The BLOK program is designed to improve the leadership skills of Kansas bankers and accomplishes that goal through four primary objectives: • To increase the individual banker’s understanding and knowledge of the structure and governance of the KBA, including a complete overview of programs, services and representation provided by the KBA. • To increase the individual banker’s understanding of the state and federal legislative process and increase their willingness to actively support and defend the Kansas banking industry. • To increase the individual banker’s understanding and awareness of the various state and federal agencies that govern the banking industry in Kansas and how those agencies interact with the KBA. • To improve the individual banker’s leadership and communication skills through professional development and leadership training sessions and to provide a clear understanding of the individual banker’s role as a volunteer KBA leader. This year’s class will include a wide range of banking industry talent from across the state. Twenty-four Kansas bankers will participate in four BLOK training sessions that will arm them with the knowledge and information needed to be credible and effective advocates for the Kansas banking industry. The first session is scheduled for Feb. 6-8 and will center on the 2024 Harold A. Stones Government Relations Conference in Topeka. 2024 BLOK Sponsors are: • Premier: BlueCross BlueShield of Kansas; KBA Insurance Inc. • Platinum: FHLBank Topeka • Silver: INTRUST Bank, N.A. • Bronze: Bankers’ Bank of Kansas; Professional Bank Consultants LLC; Schools of Banking Introducing the 2024 BLOK Class Stephen Austin — Vice President — Commercial Lending, Bank7, Montezuma Stephen Austin manages two Southwest Kansas branches and has nine years of banking and lending experience, with the most recent four years being at Bank7 specializing in commercial and ag lending. After graduating from Sterling College in 2013, Stephen moved back to Cimarron, where he currently resides with his wife, Sarah, and two children, Kynlee and Kian. In the past, he has served on the Main Street Dodge board and, most recently, the Cimarron Golf Club board. In addition to the boards, he volunteers for multiple youth sports and activities with the Gray County Recreation Commission. In his free time, Stephen enjoys golfing and traveling with his family. Ali Aylward — VP, Real Estate Loan Officer, Bank of Commerce, Chanute Ali Aylward attended Kansas State University, where she graduated cum laude with a degree in accounting and agricultural economics. After K-State, she worked as an analyst at Koch Ag and Energy Solutions in Wichita before returning to Chanute in 2019 to pursue a career in her family’s banking organization. At Bank of Commerce (BOC), Ali is a loan officer where she primarily focuses on real estate and agricultural lending. Ali is also very involved in the general accounting and managerial reporting of the banks. She has recently completed the acquisition accounting for two bank purchases and uses her analytical skills to continue to foster improvement and changes across multiple other facets of BOC. Ali is active in the Chanute community, where she serves on the Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum Foundation Board and has also helped bring Kansas State Catbacker events back to Southeast Kansas. In her free time, Ali likes to run, attend K-State games and travel to the Florida Keys. N 18
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