Jump to Content
close
close
ABA: The American Bankers Association
Skip Section Navigation

In This Section

Peer Exchanges | Conference for Community Bankers

  • February 15-17, 2026
  • JW Marriott Grande Lakes
  • Orlando, FL
View Program

2025 Peer Exchanges

Sponsored by Forvis Mazars

  • Tuesday, February 18

Monday, February 17

CEO Exchange

Discuss industry issues, solutions and strategies with your colleagues during these facilitated sessions. Share what has and has not worked for your bank, and hear the same from your peers. Exchanges will be grouped by bank asset size. Sponsored by Forvis and BCC.

  • Up to $500 Million Assets
  • $500 Million - $999 Million in Assets: Jeff Marsico, President, Kafafian Group
  • $1 Billion and More in Assets: Marty Mitchell, Director, Risk Advisory Practice, Forvis Mazars

CFO Exchange

Discuss industry issues, solutions and strategies with your colleagues during these facilitated sessions. Share what has and has not worked for your bank and hear the same from your peers. Review learnings from the day’s earlier educational sessions. Exchanges will be grouped by bank asset size and charter type.

  • Laura Butler, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary, First Citizens National Bank
  • Michelle King, Executive Vice President, CFO and COO, Ozarks Federal Savings & Loan Association

Board Member Exchange

Join a facilitated discussion about one of the most pressing issues facing board members of community banks today — risk management and mitigation. Discussions will focus on the board’s role in enterprise risk management, with special consideration on climate and reputation risk.

  • Facilitator: Susan Keating, CEO, Board Risk Committee

Card Payments Panel Discussion

  • Steve Sievert, Executive Vice President of Marketing & Brand Management, Discover
  • Emily Leach, VP of Community Accounts - Mid-Atlantic, Visa

Tuesday, February 18

Mutual Savings Banks Exchange

Once again, Tom Long from the Long Group will facilitate a discussion about the most pressing issues facing mutual banks, including ways to remove client friction; new opportunities from capital certificates; and reducing costs through shared services.

  • Tom Long, Founding Manager, The Long Group

Navigate Change in an Uncertain World

New forces in the banking industry range from digitization to AI to the tsunami of regulatory requirements, and they all add up to a need for savvy change management. Learn how boards and management must expand their scope of inquiry, recognize vulnerabilities and opportunities and navigate change.

  • Debra Cope, Editor, ABA Directors’ Briefing, American Bankers Association
  • Rafael DeLeon, Senior Vice President, Industry Engagement, NContracts

CFO Exchange

Discuss industry issues, solutions and strategies with your colleagues during these facilitated sessions. Share what has and has not worked for your bank and hear the same from your peers. Review learnings from the day’s earlier educational sessions. Exchanges will be grouped by bank asset size and charter type.

  • Laura Butler, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary, First Citizens National Bank
  • Michelle King, Executive Vice President, CFO and COO, Ozarks Federal Savings & Loan Association

Mitigate Portfolio Risk with Strategic Loan and Covenant Management

Join this facilitated discussion focused on managing maturing loans and covenant documentation in order to mitigate the risk in your portfolio.

  • Sharon Whitaker Vice President, CRE and Mortgage Finance, American Bankers Association
  • Ralph Pahnke, Senior Vice President, CRE Credit Administrator, Zions Bancorporation

Related to This