Independent Banker - April 2019 - 5

FLOURISH
" Stepping into the
unknown can help us
accomplish great things. "
Rebeca Romero Rainey
President and CEO, ICBA
It was wonderful to see so many of you at
ICBA LIVE a few weeks ago in Nashville, Tenn.
It's always great to be with fellow community
bankers, and now, as ICBA president and CEO,
our members! What a great time we had-full of
learning, inspiration and fun.
Our theme this year was all about being bold,
in innovation, leadership and life. Stepping into
the unknown can help us accomplish great things.
It forces us to see things from a new perspective,
and it challenges us in ways that make us question,
learn, improve and grow. It helps us to fl ourish.
It could be something as simple as making a
loan to a new kind of business in your community,
or bringing in a new technology. Whatever gives
you the opportunity to do something positive for
your customer, your community and your bank.
As community bankers, we are bold in our
communities every day, but we can all try stretching
just a little bit further. Our industry has so
much momentum right now, especially in terms
of advocacy and innovation, so now is the time to
continue to push the boundaries.
That's why, if you aren't already planning to join
us in Washington, D.C., later this month for ICBA's
Capital Summit (icba.org/capitalsummit), I
encourage you to register. We'd love to have you
join us. We need every community banker, from
every corner of our nation, to tell the positive
Where I'll be
this month
I'll be in Little
Rock, Ark., at
The Venture
Center for our
Demo Day of the
ICBA ThinkTECH
Accelerator,
and in Memphis,
Tenn., with our
state regional
partners. I'll
end the month
in Washington,
D.C., for our ICBA
Capital Summit.
story of our industry with legislators. We need
you to tell them how community banks, our
customers and our communities are aff ected by
the regulatory burden, unfair competition from
credit unions and the Farm Credit System, and
issues around data and cybersecurity.
Our newly released legislative and regulatory
platform, Community Focus 2020: The Community
Bank Agenda for Expanding Economic
Opportunity (icba.org/communityfocus2020), is
a multifaceted advocacy approach for the 116th
Congress. ICBA has been hard at work sharing
this framework with policymakers. We're advocating
common-sense reforms that will promote
greater access to fi nancial services and economic
opportunity in local communities nationwide.
Who else is better equipped to advocate for economic
prosperity at the local level? Nobody except
you, community bankers. Feel honored and privileged
to be part of such a profound mission. Your
community and customers count on you.
So, let's continue to be bold as we move forward
after yet another fantastic national convention. We
look forward to seeing you in Washington from
April 28-May 1 for the ICBA Capital Summit!
Connect with Rebeca @romerorainey
independentbanker.org Q 5
http://www.icba.org/communityfocus2020 http://www.icba.org/capitalsummit http://www.independentbanker.org
Independent Banker - April 2019

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