Pub. 9 2018 Issue 1

www.wvbankers.org 6 West Virginia Banker A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT & CEO By Sally Cline Future Leaders Council: Offering Banking’s Bright Future T he West Virginia Bankers Association is pleased to announce a new forum for the industry’s future leaders to meet, network and share ideas. The organization is the WVBankers Future Leaders Council. The notion of a Future Leaders Council was proposed by Brian Cayton, a recent graduate of our Emerging Leaders program. Brian wanted to create an environment in which the graduates of the Emerging Leaders Program can stay connected and en- gaged and ensure a continuum of leadership for the future of West Virginia banking. Brian is Assistant Vice President of the Community Bank of Parkersburg, and we appreciate his initi- ative in bringing this idea to our attention. Brian epitomizes the qualities we are striving to achieve with the next genera- tion of bank leaders. It is the intent of the Council to provide its members the op- portunity to share ideas with their peers, gain valuable career insight from member bank CEOs, and learn from industry leaders. The Council’s members will be responsible for the organization’s direction by setting the dates and locations of meetings, agenda topics, and guest speakers. The Council will meet four times a year. The winter meeting will be held in conjunction with WVBankers Legislative Day, the spring and fall meetings will be hosted by a Council member, and the summer meeting will be held in conjunction with WVBankers Annual Meeting. The Council will be governed by an elected executive committee consisting of a Chairman, Vice Chair- man, Secretary and Treasurer. Inaugural Executive Commit- tee members are Chairman Brian Cayton, Vice Chairman Hoy Ferguson, Davis Trust Company, Secretary Jared Burdette, United Bank, and Treasurer Chase Thomas, Clear Mountain Bank. Officers are elected to a two-year term and can serve unlimited terms. The Chairman has a non-voting seat on the WVBankers Board of Directors. Over time, the Council intends to offer to its members: • Quarterly meetings/luncheons to talk about key issues, hot topics and other matters; • Social and networking opportunities for young profes- sionals; • Advocacy involvement and meetings with key govern- ment officials; • Opportunities to promote financial literacy; • Events to speak with college/high school students about a career in banking; and • Quarterly newsletters. In addition to furthering bankers’ leadership and career de- velopment, the Council’s events will provide a great oppor- tunity to get to know other bankers and to build relationships within the industry. Members of the Council will receive in- formation on WVBankers government relations program and are encouraged to meet and foster relationships with their legislators at events such as the WVBankers Legislative Day in Charleston, the WVBA/ABA Government Relations Summit in DC, and state legislative meetings. As the Council is just getting off the ground, we are looking for new people to join. This group is a good fit if you are committed to a banking career or if you are interested in becoming more involved in West Virginia’s banking indus- try, meeting other bankers, or becoming more involved in political grassroots efforts in Charleston and Washington, DC on behalf of West Virginia’s banking industry. To qualify for membership, individuals must have completed the WVBank- ers Emerging Leadership Program or a graduate school of banking. Members must be nominated by a senior bank offi- cial and are required to pay annual membership dues of $50. We are excited to offer this new program to the members of WVBankers. WVBankers looks forward to assisting the Coun- cil in preparing the next generation of bankers to be involved, engaged and informed with the goal of achieving high enthu- siasm for our industry and community outreach.  Our firm is independent and community focused like the banks we choose to serve! Our team is seasoned and dedicated! Our service approach is first rate! 888.272.7351 ♦ SEK.com Smith Elliott Kearns & Company, LLC CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS & CONSULTANTS