The 2022 KBA — Young Bank Officers of Kansas (YBOK) Annual Conference was held in Manhattan on Sept. 14-16. The Wednesday Welcome Reception kicked off the Conference at Johnny Kaw’s, where bankers could catch up, relax, enjoy food and drinks, and network with fellow attendees.

After Past YBOK President Grant Paitz, INTRUST Bank, N.A., Wichita, welcomed attendees on Thursday morning, Dustin James energized the audience with his presentation, “Live with EVERYDAY EXCELLENCE.” This high-energy, interactive and creative keynote provided tools to reach excellence and create an action plan for everyone and their institution.

Next up, Chris Garrelts, Regional Director of Strategy Corps, presented on “Close Encounters of the Fintech Kind,” where he showed live demonstrations of trending apps and helped the attendees better understand the increasing competitive pressures on today’s banking products.

Alex Orel, SVP of Government Relations at the KBA, and KBA Chairman Shan Hanes, CEO of Heartland Tri-State Bank in Elkhart, gave the State and Federal Government Relations update where they discussed the issues facing the banking industry in Topeka and the halls of Congress. They talked about the importance of being engaged and why it matters for their institutions, their customers, and the communities they serve. Chairman Hanes challenged attendees to get to know their local elected officials and join the fight for the industry on critical issues facing us today.

The KBA-YBOK Division was honored to host Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, who talked about his office’s efforts to combat crimes against children and protect senior citizens from scams and rip-offs. He talked about recovering record-setting amounts of money for Kansas consumers and taxpayers, providing professional legal services for the State of Kansas, and standing up against illegal overreach by the federal government.

During lunch and the YBOK Division Annual Meeting, this year’s 2022 Corporate Citizenship Efforts, where YBOK Attendees and the Division raise money for an important cause in the community, went to Katie’s Way in Manhattan in the amount of $1,500. Katie’s Way works closely with young people ages two to 26 to provide a team-based approach to assessment and treatment for psychology and therapy services. Their providers use various evidence-based therapy techniques to address different concerns and focus on holistic wellness.

During the YBOK Annual Meeting, the attendees approved the nominating committee report for next year’s YBOK Board of Directors.

Nomination of Officers for 2022-2023

• President — Cameron Cooper, Patriots Bank, Garnett
• Vice President — Nick Wolfe, United Bank & Trust, Marysville
• Secretary/Treasurer — Francis Scheuerman, UMB Bank, Kansas City
• Past President — Grant Paitz, INTRUST Bank N.A., Wichita

Nominations of Directors for 2021-2022

• Region 1 Nick Gideon (nominated for first three-year term), Silver Lake Bank, Lawrence
• Region 1 Alex Jones, Bank of Commerce, Neodesha
• Region 2 Greg Thiessen (nominated for first three year term), First Bank of Beloit, Beloit
• Region 2 Tom Sheik, State Bank of Bern, Bern
• Region 3 Victoria Hamilton (nominated for first three-year term), First National Bank of Hutchinson, Hutchinson
• Region 3 Tami Molloy, Citizens Bank of Kansas, Derby
• At-Large Rep. Rocky Anderson, Equity Bank, Topeka
• At-Large Rep. Beth Masterson, Legacy Bank, Wichita
• At-Large Rep. Jordan Lauer, Farmers State Bank, Westmoreland
• Ambassador Kara Cramer, Forvis, LLP KC, Kansas City
• Ambassador Tyler Walden (nominated for a three-year term), Allen Gibbs & Houlik LC, Wichita
• Ambassador Jason Hatfield (nominated for a three-year term), Security 1st Title, Wichita

Past YBOK President Grant Paitz officially handed over the reins to Incoming YBOK President Cameron Cooper, and President Cooper addressed the attendees and thanked everyone for being there and being engaged.

Up next, YBOK Board Ambassador Tyler Walden, Allen, Gibbs & Houlik, L.C. in Wichita, moderated the CEO Panel, which included Kyle Campbell, President & CEO of Astra Bank in Abilene, and Sara Girard, CEO of Central National Bank in Topeka. The panel talked about their careers in the banking industry, how they got to their current positions, and current trends their banks are looking at in the economy and shared their thoughts on the roles fintechs are playing in the financial industry.

Steve Stasiukonis, Secure Network Technologies, closed the conference as our afternoon keynote and shared an eye-opening presentation, “Hacking and Attacking the Remote Worker; How to be Secure When Working Out of the Office.” He explained how hackers leverage various techniques to defeat remote workers and security controls and what you and your institution can do to protect yourself.

Next year’s conference is already scheduled, and will be held September 13-15; hope to see you there!