Pub. 4 2014 Issue 4

22 www.azbankers.org currently offer some form of leadership program. At some, the program lasts several months, and at others, it is a year-long commitment. The mantra for the Leadership Division at the Virginia Bankers Association is to “create a succession plan for Virginia banking,” explains Chandler Dewey, manager of communications and government relations. “Today’s division members are tomorrow’s CEOs.” Similarly, to turn emerging leaders into well-rounded bank- ers, the 12-month Washington Bankers Association Executive Development Program addresses every aspect of banking, says Liz Wilson, executive vice-president. In addition, many associations offer one- or two-day leadership conferences. The Maine Bankers Association, for example, has hosted since 2009 an Emerging Leaders Confer- ence that is open to all Maine bankers. In March, ABA hosted its first Emerging Leaders Program, in conjunction with the ABA Government Relations Summit. Attendees were nominated by their state associations, and had the opportunity to visit with federal regulators and members of Congress in company with the more than 1,000 bankers attending the Summit. (The program will be held again in March 2015.) F OR THE YOUNG AND YOUNG AT HEART These association leadership programs attract a diverse group of participants. The Washington Bankers Association ex- pected mostly younger, inexperienced bankers at its Executive Development Program, notes James Pishue, president and CEO. Instead, graduates include CEOs, investment bankers, commercial lenders, controllers, and chief financial officers, as well as older employees in less senior positions who may have made a midlife career switch and are new to banking. The Texas Bankers Association’s Management Develop- ment Program also is open to everyone from head tellers to the executive suite, says Peyton Taylor, head of employee development and resources. Likewise, the Kansas Bankers Association does not put an age limit on its Bank Leaders of Kansas (BLOK) program. While many participants do tend to be under 45, it’s not unusual to see plenty of gray hair. “We want a diverse group of attendees, whether it be by age, gender, or position,” explains Doug Wareham, executive vice-president of government relations. KBA has a separate program for bankers under 45 called Young Bankers of Kan- sas, which is a feeder program for BLOK. In another variation, the South Carolina Bankers As- sociation, in partnership with the North Carolina Bankers Association, launched a Women in Banking Leadership Symposium in April. The program was successful, accord- ing to Fred Green, SCBA president and CEO, and plans are being made for next year’s symposium. “Diversity has been on every bank’s radar for a long time, and rightly so,” points out Green. Age diversity is important to banks as well, and a variety of age groups attend Horizons 200, Camden National Bank’s leadership training program, which is designed to prepare emerging leaders to take on vice-president roles, according to Gregory Dufour, president and CEO of the $2.6 billion-assets bank based in Camden, Maine. Horizons 200, launched in 2011, is a follow-up program to Horizons 100, a banking fundamentals program. A 300-level program is on the draw- ing board. Age is just a number, says Sorrentino. “You can have a youthful bank no matter how old your employees.” While ConnectOne Bank does have a bench of 20- and 30-year-olds, the bank also coaxed an employee back from retirement who is forward-thinking and happy to interact with young staff. “It’s not a chronological age that matters,” says Sorrentino. “It’s the culture.” P LANTING THE SEEDS OF ADVOCACY In addition to grooming bankers prepared to take on leader- n Future Bank Leaders — continued from page 21