Autumn Bucy of Hendricks County Bank & Trust Company, Brownsburg, was awarded the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis’ 2024 Community Spirit Award. Each year since 2007, FHLBI has honored an employee of one Indiana member institution and one from Michigan who have shown an outstanding dedication to affordable housing and community economic development. Bucy, marketing manager for HCBT, was chosen for her passion for bettering her Brownsburg community, including the Brownsburg Youth Sports Future Fields project, which is working to build a new 60-acre youth sports facility. She forged partnerships with community stakeholders to support programs that facilitate the inclusion of children with special needs. In addition to the award, FHLBI donated $5,000 to Brownsburg Youth Sports in Bucy’s honor.
Janelle Campbell, senior vice president, director of consumer banking at Community First Bank of Indiana, Kokomo, graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado. She was among 160 graduates representing 28 states honored in a ceremony on July 25. The 25-month program immerses attendees in a mix of traditional and non-traditional models of coursework on financial management and strategy, innovation and engagement, leadership and culture, and lending, all through the lens of community banking.
Jacqueline M. Ruge-Perkins, president and CEO of First State Bank of Porter, has been recognized by BankBeat magazine as one of its 2024 Outstanding Women in Banking. Ruge-Perkins has been a board member for the IBA since 2022, representing small banks in the North Region, and was just re-elected to serve another term through December 2027. She volunteers with Rebuilding Together Duneland and Westchester Neighbors Food Pantry, is a current committee member and past treasurer of the Duneland Chamber of Commerce as well as treasurer and past president of the Duneland Exchange Club. As a charter member of the Duneland Exchange Club, she was instrumental in bringing Body Safety, a child abuse prevention program, to the local school corporation. Ruge-Perkins has been honored as a Duneland Distinguished Woman recipient and a finalist for the Northwest Indiana Influential Women award in the Financial Industry category. She is a graduate of Purdue University and the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Six IBA-member banks and two associate members were named to TIME magazine’s inaugural list of America’s Best Midsize Companies, defined as those with $100 million – $10 billion in revenue in the most recent full year reported. Results were based on three primary dimensions: employee satisfaction, revenue growth and sustainability transparency (environmental, sustainability and governance “ESG” reporting). The list of 500 companies included:
22. Huntington National Bank, Columbus, OH
23. Regions Bank, Birmingham, AL
159. Fifth Third Bank, Cincinnati
175. Moody’s Analytics
239. Jack Henry & Associates Inc.
331. Old National Bank, Evansville
418. First Merchants Bank, Muncie
451. First Financial Bank, Cincinnati
Balmer
Hawkins
Stemley
Verma
Loucks
Shoup
Willis
Wilson
Horizon Bank, Michigan City, recognized eight of its bankers for outstanding performance in leadership and community service. Brian Balmer, vice president, district manager; Steve Hawkins, vice president, commercial loan workout officer; Karen Stemley, branch manager; and Mahendra Verma, vice president, network engineering manager; were all honored with the Beyond Ordinary Leadership Award for going beyond ordinary banking by affecting positive change for customers, the company and community, as exemplified by outstanding leadership, professionalism, collaboration, and commitment to customers. The bank also honored Krysta Loucks, operational risk specialist; Jennifer Shoup, vice president, district manager; Donna Willis, assistant vice president, branch manager; and Jennifer Wilson, assistant vice president, branch manager; with the Go Beyond Community Service Award for significantly contributing to the communities they serve through going beyond by their active volunteerism, leadership and contributions.
