Laying the Groundwork for Change

IT HAS NOW been more than seven months since my appointment as ABA's new president and CEO was announced. On my many trips to meet ABA's members across the country, bankers often ask how it's going and what I've been up to. As I officially transition into the role of president and CEO, I wanted to share my answer and give you a glimpse at what's keeping all of us at ABA so busy these days. These first months have been fun and exhilarating. It has been my honor and privilege to meet so many of ABA's important stakeholders and discuss the challenges and opportunities ahead for us as an industry. Meeting our members has been my first order of business. Since my appointment was first announced in May, I have logged 35,000 miles traveling to more than 12 states and speaking at more than two dozen events attended by thousands of bankers. Getting to know our members is vitally important, but I know my wife, Rebecca, and our children will be happy when this first year's travels wind down! We had a terrific Annual Convention in Los Angeles. We heard from leading thinkers on a whole host of industry issues that are coming our way. We also honored my predecessor Frank Keating--not just for five years of service to ABA but for a nearly five-decade body of work in public service. An FBI agent, state legislator, state and federal prosecutor, Reagan administration appointee and Oklahoma governor--Frank's accomplishments are remarkable and compelling. I am so glad we had the opportunity to pay him a richly deserved tribute at the Convention. We also co-hosted a ceremony with the Oklahoma Bankers Association at which Gov. Mary Fallin and other leaders in Frank's home state had a chance to honor him for his legacy of service. Members of Congress and other leaders here in D.C. gathered for an event I hosted in Frank's honor in the Mansfield Room of the U.S. Capitol. Attending our National Agricultural Bankers Conference in Kansas City was a special treat. The conference set attendance records with more than 800 registrants. I joined Dan Blanton fora session providing an overview of our upcoming advocacy goals--only the second time that ABA's chief executive and incoming chairman have both addressed ABA's century-old gathering of ag bankers. Accounting for more than one-third of all U.S. banks, ag banks are a vitally important part of our industry. I also had the opportunity to meet more of our members when delegations from 30 states visited D.C. this fall. Thank you to the more than 600 bankers who took time away from their families, their banks and their hometowns to do the fly-ins. In-person advocacy is critically important if we are to make a successful case for regulatory relief on Capitol Hill. Regulatory reform was at the top of our advocacy agenda all autumn long. As this article went to press, the fate of reg relief in Congress was uncertain, but working together with our grassroots bankers and the state associations, we have been giving it a powerful push. Our Pass Reg Relief Now campaign has included a petition from 20,000 of you, phonea-thons, Twitter storms, advertising in D.C. and home states, op-eds, TV and radio appearances and--most importantly--personal advocacy from bankers like you to your senators. As I've said again and again all year, grassroots actions by bankers will make the difference. We need everyone engaged, from the CEO to the loan review officer to the teller. The message has been simple and consistent: regulatory relief helps us help our customers. That's a message Congress intuitively understands. It all comes back to what banks do to serve their clients, customers and communities. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As we move into a presidential election year, you can expect lots of discussion of our industry from candidates at all levels. …