We have all heard the political pundits and experts tell us that “post-pandemic,” the economy will perform in such-and-such a way. The past few years have not performed as any of us could have predicted ten, or even five, years ago. Would any of us have considered the potential for $10 per gallon of gas or the increasing cost of a weekly trip to the grocery store? These are unprecedented times, and it is at times such as this that we can rely upon CBA to provide value to the membership.
It is an honor to be elected by the membership to be the 2022-23 Chairman of the Colorado Bankers Association. These may not be ideal economic times to be chairman of CBA, but it will be exciting, nonetheless. There remain opportunities to make a positive difference for our industry and Colorado.
Through 20 years in banking, I have experienced the challenges of economic highs and lows. We enter this latest downturn with regulatory agencies focused on further restricting the means by which we conduct our business.
Now more than ever, we need CBA to be at the forefront of advocacy and our watchdog for regulatory stability. As a well-regarded and respected association, CBA will represent the voice of our industry as we navigate through these challenging times in Colorado and our nation.
During my tenure as chairman, it is my goal for CBA to focus on four areas:
Advocacy and Government Relations: CBA is a leader and provides a strong, reliable voice at the state house in Denver and in D.C. on behalf of the financial service industry. During the next year, CBA’s work to protect the interest of banking in Colorado and before Congress and regulators will be critical.
Education and Professional Development: A tremendous member resource is education and professional development offered through CBA. I am a 2016 graduate of the Center for Banking Advocacy. This is an excellent program for introducing and engaging bankers in the legislative and advocacy process. Over the next year, CBA will expand its professional development program with increased participation from member banks.
Membership: CBA staff is responsive to the membership and provides exceptional customer service. Over the next year, they will continue to support our member banks, so your membership is more than you ever expected. For a robust and diverse association, we will continue to grow our member banks.
Banker Resources: Our CBA staff accomplishes so much with so few staff on hand. My goal is to begin an online Banker Resource which will be a catalog of content that can be shared by our members and teach banks and bankers how to leverage and utilize resources within CBA. More information on this project will follow in the months to come. We have strong leadership with Jenifer Waller at the helm, and she has built a solid team to support the mission of improving the quality of the Colorado banking industry and enhancing its ability to compete effectively and efficiently. I am excited to share this next year with you. I am encouraged that with CBA as a partner and advocate, we can conduct good business for Colorado and continue to promote a sound and competitive banking environment.
