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Washington, D.C. (Dec. 6, 2024) — Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey and Group Executive Vice President of Congressional Relations and Strategy Paul Merski make their seventh consecutive appearance on The Hill’s Top Lobbyists List of association executives. The inclusion of Romero Rainey and Merski in The Hill’s prestigious list reinforces ICBA’s role as a leading advocate for policies that support community banks, helping them to thrive and better serve their customers and communities.
“This honor underscores the essential role of community banks as engines of economic growth and pillars of local communities across the nation,” said Romero Rainey. “Advocating on behalf of these institutions is both a privilege and a responsibility I share with our dedicated team at ICBA. We are grateful for this acknowledgment of our ongoing efforts to champion the needs of community banks and the customers and communities they serve.”
A third-generation community banker from Taos, N.M., Romero Rainey has been a lifelong advocate for community banking. As the former chairman and CEO of Centinel Bank of Taos, she understands firsthand the unique value community banks provide as relationship lenders and trusted advisors. Romero Rainey has held various ICBA volunteer leadership positions, including ICBA chairman in 2016, and has served as ICBA’s top lobbyist since assuming her current role in May 2018.
Merski, who has also been named to the top lobbyist list multiple times, brings more than three decades of experience in legislative and economic policy development to his work, including 25 years at ICBA where he serves as congressional relations team leader. He also previously served as chief economist for the Joint Economic Committee and in the U.S. Senate as senior tax and banking policy adviser to Sen. Connie Mack, among other notable roles.
“It is a privilege to advocate for community banks alongside Rebeca and ICBA’s talented government relations team,” Merski said. “This recognition affirms that community banks’ voices are being heard in the policy debates that impact Main Street America. Our advocacy work reflects the commitment and passion of our ICBA members and state and regional partners, whose efforts drive meaningful policy outcomes for communities nationwide.”
About ICBA
The Independent Community Bankers of America® has one mission: to create and promote an environment where community banks flourish. We power the potential of the nation’s community banks through effective advocacy, education, and innovation.
As local and trusted sources of credit, America’s community banks leverage their relationship-based business model and innovative offerings to channel deposits into the neighborhoods they serve, creating jobs, fostering economic prosperity, and fueling their customers’ financial goals and dreams. For more information, visit ICBA’s website at icba.org.