Pub. 7 2018 Issue 8

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 6 LEADERSHIP BY EXAMPLE – NEW KBA PRESIDENT/CEO DOUG WAREHAM A nyone that meets Doug Wareham for the first time immediately recognizes his desire to be a positive force. They also quickly realize how incredibly driven and passionate he is about serving others, especially his co-workers and colleagues in the Kansas banking industry. When asked where this drive and enthusiasm comes from, Wareham’s response sheds light on a very special and successful set of individuals that he credits with molding an undersized farm kid from rural northeast (Whiting) Kansas into a disciplined leader worthy of guiding the most respected trade association in Kansas. “I think I was in third grade when my father first told me dynamite comes in small packages,” shares Wareham. “I was blessed to have parents that loved unconditionally, but they also always expected the best of me and my siblings. My parents are the hardest working people I’ve ever known, and their example showed me what true effort can accomplish.” Doug’s parents, Bob & Melinda Wareham, were leaders in their own right. His father is a respected community banker at Farmers State Bank of Highland for 27 years following stints managing a commercial grain elevator and serving as a county extension agent. His mother, a retired rural mail carrier, is a member of the local school board at Jackson Heights where Doug attended high school. As fate would have it, his parents’ efforts to bring an agricultural education program to their local school district introduced Doug to his first mentor, Mr. Lynn Rundle. Lynn was hired to be the first ever high school agricultural education instructor at Jackson Heights High School the year before Doug entered ninth grade. Just five short years later, during his senior year, Doug served as the Jackson Heights FFA Chapter President and the school’s agricultural program was recognized as the best in the nation. “Mr. Rundle wasn’t a typical teacher, he was the CEO of our school’s ag program. He showed me what enthusiasm coupled with strong organizational and communication skills could accomplish,” states Wareham. It’s ironic that Wareham described Rundle as the classroom CEO considering Rundle now serves as the CEO of a large fruit grower cooperative with farm land and facilities in Florida and five other states. If Doug’s ability to communicate was honed under the tutelage of his high school ag teacher, his drive for meaningful accomplishment was cemented by his experiences and service in the United States Marine Corps. Three days after completing a year of service as a Kansas State FFA officer, Doug followed in the footsteps of his older brother, Rob Wareham, by enlisting in the Marine Corps. As fate would have it, that led to an encounter with a man who Doug describes as the “greatest leader I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing in action.” Senior Drill Instructor Staff Sergeant Byron Harper wasn’t simply the lead drill instructor for Doug’s 90+ member platoon in boot camp, he was recognized during the final week of Doug’s Marine recruit training as the top drill instructor in the entire Marine Corps. “I’ve been so blessed to have been influenced, educated and trained by so many incredible leaders over the past 30 years, but being fortunate enough to be trained by the very best of what I believe is the finest military organization in the world, was a one-in-a-million opportunity that forged my belief in the power of a well-organized, highly- motivated team with a common goal,” states Wareham. Staff Sergeant Harper’s ability to mold young Marines led to recognition for more than himself, it Doug, recognized as the top graduate of his 590 Marine recruit class, is seen here carrying the guidon alongside his Senior Drill Instructor Staff Sergeant Byron Harper. Doug with then Kansas Congressman and now U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and KBA Past Chairman Frank Carson, Carson Bank. Doug and Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt at the 2014 Inaugural Ball. Doug is the short one.