Banking on Women 2025

A record-high 530 attendees, vendors and speakers packed the Embassy Suites in Noblesville Oct. 22-23 for the 9th annual IBA Banking on Women Conference.

Helmed by 2025 conference committee chair Darlisa Davis of First Merchants Bank, Muncie, this year’s conference lived up to its reputation as a platform where women take the lead. Powerhouse educational sessions delved into crucial topics including negotiation strategies, building and maintaining high-performing teams in a distributed world, and why women are key to building trust in your organization’s brand.

The conference marked the return of IBA’s prestigious Banking on Women Awards presentations. Kristin Pruitt, president of Lake City Bank, Warsaw, was honored as the 2025 IBA Woman of the Year. The award, sponsored by Krieg DeVault LLP, celebrates women in banking for their professional excellence, community engagement and track record of supporting other women in reaching their full potential. Ashley Ahrens, senior vice president-retail banking at North Salem State Bank, was honored as the 2025 IBA Woman on the Rise. The award, sponsored by Amundsen Davis LLC, recognizes a woman in banking age 40 or younger who is making a significant impact in her industry and community through engagement, drive and teamwork.

Networking breaks between each educational session gave attendees the chance to connect with colleagues and expand their professional networks, and an open dinner option gave women the chance to leave the host hotel and break bread together.

This year’s silent auction benefitted ResearcHERS, a branch of the American Cancer Society dedicated to fundraising in support of women-led cancer research. Bids and donations raised a total of $7,720. Thank you to our planning committee, attendees, speakers and sponsors for making this another rousing success. Be sure to save the date for our 2026 conference – back to our normal timeframe, but at a new location – Nov. 4-5, at the Embassy Suites in Plainfield!

IBA Woman of the Year 2025

Kristin Pruitt, president at Lake City Bank, Warsaw, was named the 2025 IBA Woman of the Year. The award, sponsored by Krieg DeVault LLP, recognizes a woman in banking who excels at her profession, is active in her community and supports other women to reach their full potential – whether in banking or other fields.

When Pruitt joined her bank, only two women were on her bank’s management committee. Today, five of the nine management committee members are women, along with more than 40% of all senior leadership, in large part because of her example and mentorship. Outside the bank, she is a dedicated volunteer. The current and former CEOs of her local Boys & Girls Club both credit her for much of the organization’s success during the pandemic. The entire Banking on Women Conference has benefitted from her leadership as she has been an integral part of this conference’s planning and organization committee since its inception, including serving as its chair in 2021.

IBA Woman on the Rise 2025

Ashley Ahrens, senior vice president-retail banking at North Salem State Bank, was named the 2025 IBA Woman on the Rise. The award, sponsored by Amundsen Davis LLC, recognizes a woman in banking age 40 or younger who is making a significant impact in her industry and community through engagement, drive and teamwork.

Ahrens has been a high performer since her first day at the bank, quickly moving up the ladder from teller to a member of the executive team. She is a leader who loves to mentor her staff while spending countless hours engaged in her community. She volunteers with her local 4-H Fair, historical museum and rotary club, among other organizations, helping raise funds, run events and improve public image. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University, is on track to complete the Stonier Graduate School of Banking the summer of 2026, received the ICBA’s NextGen Scholarship ant addended the LEAD FWD Summit in 2023, and completed the IBA’s Leadership Development Program in 2024.