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By Rebeca Romero Rainey
As a third-generation community banker, I understand the importance of paving the way for future leaders. I came up through the ranks of a family-owned bank—from interning in the mailroom as a teenager to serving years later as its chairman and CEO.
Throughout my banking career and my work on behalf of the industry, I never stopped learning or growing. In fact, that drive to seek out new and better ways to serve our customers and support the community often resulted in an avid pursuit of lifelong learning, which fueled my professional growth and the overall success of my bank.
As I begin the next chapter of my own professional story as ICBA president and CEO, I’m confident that those now tasked with leading Centinel Bank of Taos, N.M., will continue to foster future talent so they have the necessary skills to grow the bank and continue to serve the needs of their customers and community for generations to come.
I’m looking forward to using my new platform to continue to give back to the industry I love and share the importance of supporting continuous education and enrichment for those talented individuals destined to lead our industry forward.
That’s why I’m excited to be speaking at this year’s LEAD FWD Summit, interacting directly with your emerging leaders—encouraging them to innovate, collaborate and continue the legacy our past industry leaders worked so diligently to build. I strongly encourage you to send your best and brightest to this one-of-a-kind event on Sept. 17-18 in Louisville, Ky., to provide your bank’s high performers with actionable insights and tools that will help your community bank remain competitive in our transforming industry.
Trust me when I say that an investment in the future of our industry is well worth the effort. By recognizing and creating a pathway for tomorrow’s leaders you can help sow the seeds of prosperity for your bank, your community and our industry.
Rebeca Romero Rainey is ICBA president and CEO.