Pub. 9 2020 Issue 6

6 President’s Message By Doug Wareham, KBA President and CEO A s the final days of 2020 draw to a close, I believe it’s important to reflect upon this very tumultuous year and ask ourselves an important question: In the face of this historic pandemic, did we accomplish our mission? Answering that question begins by reviewing KBA’s mission statement: Together we support our member banks and bankers with leadership, advocacy and education to benefit the communities and customers they serve. Just like you, your KBA staff team was forced to adapt and overcome when the first wave of the coronavirus took hold back in early March. Following the lead of Kansas bankers, who were deemed essential workers by state and federal regulators, the KBA has remained open for business throughout this crisis. We worked diligently to serve as a lifeline for Kansas bankers who were, in turn, doing everything in their power to support and assist their customers and communities. We also learned (just as you have) to harness a virtual world for meetings and events, and we’ve learned to disseminate information timelier and more efficiently to you: our customers. Once again, we simply followed your lead and kept working; we kept grinding because our mission of supporting our member banks gave us a collective and meaningful purpose. I want to thank KBA’s Board of Directors, our Division Boards, and our many KBA committees for the incredibly important work they continued under difficult circumstances this past year. In spite of this unprecedented roller-coaster ride, Kansas bankers have kept your association moving forward. Significant progress was made this past year on several strategic planning objectives, including strengthening KBA’s political muscularity during the recent elections that saw an unprecedented number Brighter Days Ahead