June 24, 2026

Congratulations to Kevin McClure on reaching an extraordinary milestone: 50 years of dedicated service in the banking industry. His career stands as a testament to leadership, commitment and a deep-rooted passion for serving his community.

The Kansas Bankers Association (KBA) is pleased to announce the recipients of 13 scholarships awarded by the Kansas Bankers Educational Foundation (KBEF), a 501(c)(3) corporation created and operated by the KBA. Five scholarships were awarded to children of Kansas bankers, and eight scholarships were awarded to students who are currently enrolled in one of two Kansas colleges/universities that offer banking-specific degrees and/or concentrations. Two other schools — the University of Kansas and the University of Missouri-Kansas City — will award KBEF scholarship funds to students in their banking programs later this summer. Kansas Bankers Educational Foundation awarded a total of $50,000!

Dahx Marrs, Managing Partner, Kansas Bankers Technologies, Salina; Andrew Manley, SVP/CFO/CRA Officer, First Bank Kansas, Salina; Brad Shields; and Justin Ahlers

The 47th Annual MOKAN Trust & Financial Services Conference was held May 6-8, 2026, at the Overland Park Convention Center in Overland Park, Kansas, bringing together trust and financial professionals from across the region for three days of education, networking and industry insight.

April marked the fifth anniversary of the Kansas Bankers Association’s partnership with Jobs for America’s Graduates-Kansas (JAG-K), celebrating five years of collaboration during Financial Literacy Month. This milestone year highlighted the ongoing commitment to supporting financial education and career awareness for students across the state.

The 2026 Women in Banking Conference, held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Manhattan, brought together industry leaders for a day of insight, connection and inspiration. The program opened with performance coach Dr. Cindra Kamphoff, who challenged attendees to master their mindset, deepen their self-awareness and intentionally choose empowering emotions to achieve their full potential. Attorneys Jamie Cosgrove and Sarah Lynch-Chaput of the Kansas Bankers Association followed with a timely look at fraud prevention, outlining current scam trends, liability considerations and practical steps banks can take to better protect customers.

We all recognize the political divisions in this country and the difficulty in getting Republicans and Democrats to agree on the time of day, much less substantive policy issues.

David Marshall Carr, 74, of Wellington, passed away peacefully on March 25, 2026, surrounded by his family. Born Nov. 22, 1951, in Wichita, Kansas, David was the son of Francis and Sarah “Saddy” Carr. He spent nearly his entire life in Wellington, where he became widely known for his kindness, generosity, humor and deep commitment to his community. During his freshman year at the University of Kansas (KU), he met the love of his life, Colette Kocour. After graduating from KU in 1973 and earning his MBA from the University of Chicago in 1978, David and Colette returned to Wellington, where he continued the Carr family legacy in banking. David worked for 38 years at First National Bank, now Impact Bank, serving in several executive leadership roles before retiring in 2018 as Chairman of First Financial Corporation.

J.W. Wells, Kansas Bankers Association, has been selected to join Class XVIII of the Kansas Agriculture and Rural Leadership (KARL) Program. The KARL Program is a prestigious leadership development experience to identify, prepare and connect aspiring leaders to spark action and positively impact Kansas agriculture and rural communities. Up to 30 Kansans from across the state, involved in agriculture or rural community leadership positions, are selected to participate. Over the course of two years, J.W. will participate in seminars across the state, a domestic study tour, a national study tour to Washington D.C. and an international study tour to one or more countries.

LeAnn Mott, VP – Education & Conferences, is celebrating 10 years with the KBA! LeAnn began her KBA journey on April 1, 2016, and over the past decade, has made a meaningful impact through her leadership, dedication and passion for delivering high-quality education and conferences for Kansas bankers statewide. Thank you, LeAnn, for 10 years of hard work, commitment and service. We’re incredibly grateful to have you on the KBA team!

Legacy Bank is celebrating 140 years of serving Kansas communities, a milestone rooted in trust, relationships and long-term commitment. Founded in 1886 as the Bank of Colwich, the institution has remained connected to its community through five generations of the Suellentrop family. Today, Legacy Bank continues to grow while honoring its history and maintaining a relationship-first approach to community banking.

One big question I hear from Kansas community banks today is simple: How do we find good people, and just as importantly, how do we keep them?

The 2026 Kansas State Legislative Session has concluded, and it is one we can confidently describe as both productive and impactful for Kansas banks and the customers we serve. Through strategic advocacy, strong member engagement and clear communication with policymakers, the Kansas Bankers Association helped advance meaningful legislation while successfully stopping proposals that would have harmed our industry and the broader economy.