Paul C. Katz took over as president of the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Prochnow Educational Foundation effective June 1. He will also assume the role of CEO upon the retirement of current president/CEO Kirby Davidson on Dec. 31.
Katz was chosen out of a national search that yielded applications from more than 300 candidates. He comes to GSB following 25 years in banking industry leadership roles, most recently serving as managing director and head of bank relations at Promontory MortgagePath in Danbury, Conn. Prior to that, he was executive vice president of the State Association Alliance with the American Bankers Association in Washington, D.C., where he collaborated with 51 state bankers associations to improve the competitive position of the nation’s banks. In both roles, he established himself as a strategic thinker with a proven track record for growing existing business.
He earned his bachelor’s degree from Mount Saint Mary’s University and is a graduate of the Executive Leadership Program – Leadership for Extraordinary Performance – at the University of Virginia Darden Graduate School of Business.
Davidson joined the school in 2000 as vice president of marketing and banker relations, ascending to president & CEO in 2008. He has been a huge supporter of the IBA. In fact, our Mega Conference was the first conference he attended after joining the GSB, and joined us again for this year’s Mega as one of the final events he will have attended before retiring.
The IBA Board of Directors thanks Davidson for his years of exemplary leadership as such a crucial partner for our bankers’ professional development, and wish him the best as he heads into retirement.
