Pub 7 2018 Issue 5

l e a d i n g a d v o c a t e f o r t h e b a n k i n g i n d u s t r y i n k a n s a s 8 BLOK SESSION III – FEDERAL ADVOCACY T WENTY MEMBERS OF the 2018 Bank Leaders of Kansas (BLOK) class traveled to Washington, D.C., to learn about advocacy at the federal level in the third session of the year-long program. The trip began with a fun evening led by KBA EVP- COO Doug Wareham, on a mobile monument tour. The tour included stops at Iwo Jima, National WWII Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the White House, and U.S. Capitol. The American Bankers Association (ABA) provided a special introductory session in their office to outline the many resources with which the staff experts at the ABA can assist. An important component of the trip to Washington D.C. is to demonstrate how the Senate and Congressional offices function and how bankers can interact with them. Immediately following the orientation at the ABA, the class gathered in the LBJ room at the U.S. Capitol for a behind the scenes look into Senator Pat Roberts’ office provided by his Chief of Staff Jackie Cottrell. She outlined how diverse a typical day as a congressional staffer can be in Washington, and the many roles on congressional staff teams, ranging from policy development, to communications to constituent services. Ms. Cottrell also described the most rewarding and frustrating parts of being the Chief of Staff for a member of Congress and conveyed that helping guide a piece of federal legislation from introduction to the president’s desk for signature is very rewarding for not only the member of Congress, but for his or her entire staff team. Following the Chief of Staff discussion, the group enjoyed a tour of the U.S. Capitol. Part of the BLOK experience is to participate with the Federal Affairs Committee in all advocacy activities and contribute in discussions with regulators and on visits to Capitol Hill. Thank You to Our 2018 BLOK Program Sponsors: • Bankers’ Bank of Kansas • CalTech • Central States Capital Markets, LLC • FHLBank Topeka • Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison • INTRUST Bank, N.A. • KBA Insurance, Inc. • Professional Bank Consultants, LLC • Schools of Banking Newly confirmed FDIC Chairwoman Jelena McWilliams (center) was happy to host the BLOK Class.