The new year started a little early for the government relations team. After Gov. Mike Braun called a special session to consider redrawing Indiana’s congressional districts, state lawmakers opted to instead simply start the regular legislative session the first week of December.
By the time you read this, we will have already hosted our annual Legislative Briefing and Reception. It shifted three weeks earlier than normal to follow the unusual session schedule. We’ll have more from that event for you in the March/April issue. The Future Leadership Division also hosted its annual FLD Day at the Statehouse on February 10 – also about a month earlier than normal. This is an opportunity for up-and-coming leaders the chance to learn about and actively engage in advocacy.
If you have any future leaders in mind at your institution who you think are ready to take their next step, be sure to sign them up for the acclaimed IBA Leadership Development Program. LDP begins its intensive eight-month training in March. Space is limited, so be sure to act quickly to identify your best and brightest for this program. The skills developed and lessons learned can help your emerging leaders contribute to your bank’s future.
Thanks once more to Matt Howrey for his service to the Association as its chairman last year, and congratulations to David Findlay on his election as chair for 2026. Welcome also to Connor Wong and Jackson Norman, our new vice president-government relations and government relations coordinator, respectively.
For those who hadn’t yet heard, Chris Bennett, our longtime vice president-meetings & events, retired at the end of the year. The IBA’s Mega Conference remains a standard bearer for state bankers associations across the country, in no small part because of her leadership. Read more in this issue about an opportunity to wish her the best in her retirement at this year’s Mega Conference, as well as other changes coming to the IBA’s education department.
As you plan out your team’s education goals for the year, make sure your IT team has whitelisted the @indiana.bank domain so everyone at your bank receives the latest IBA offerings. You can login to your account at our website to customize your email preferences, or fill out a brief form and we’ll customize your profile to match.
