Having spent the majority of the last 15 years volunteering in some form or fashion with the IBA, I thought I had seen it all. Serving this past year as your chairman, I’ve learned how lucky we are to have such an amazing state association. As we traveled from the dual affiliates summit (for state associations that are affiliated with both ABA and ICBA), to ICBA LIVE and the Central States Conference, the theme was the same. The IBA is the gold standard that other states try to reach, especially with our Mega Conference.

One of my passions is developing the next generation of banking talent. A special shout out to Ashley Ahrens, my bank’s senior vice president of retail operations, who was named this year’s Woman on the Rise at the Banking on Women Conference. You can read more about her accomplishments on the IBA website and in the January/February issue of Hoosier Banker. I am also proud to say that my year as chair saw record attendance at the FLD Leadership Conference in July with more than 225 emerging leaders and college interns. And the IBA is leading the state with our new high school apprenticeship program, the Financial Services Academy. So far, we have 25 banks committed to host a combined 45 apprentices in the inaugural class starting next August. We believe these apprentices are vital for the future of community banking, which is why my own bank has committed to host three and I am personally serving on the FSA’s governance committee even after I formally pass the chairman’s gavel to David Findlay at the end of the year.

As I conclude my year as chairman, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to those who have supported me the past year while I played hooky with the IBA; to Amanda, who is always up for a quick road trip in between the kids’ ballgames; and to the best group of coworkers in the world for handling the fort while I was gone.

As I pass the gavel to David, I am confident that the IBA will continue its success. With all our local and national victories in 2025, it’s good to be a banker again – and the future only gets brighter.