Registration, Refreshments & Exhibit Hall

Exhibit Hall Open 2:30-5:30PM
Registration Sponsored by KeyState 

Center Court

Weather Backup: Vanderbilt Ballroom

7:00 AM

Registration Desk & Exhibit Hall Open

Exhibit Hall Open 7:00 AM-12:00 PM
Registration Sponsored by KeyState 

7:30-7:45 AM

Convention Opening Ceremony & Welcome

• Janet Currie
  President, Greater Maryland, Bank of America
  2024-2025 MBA Chair
• Victor Branch
  President, Richmond Market, Bank of America
  2024-2025 VBA Chair

7:45-8:30 AM

US Macro Economy
Sophia Kearney-Lederman
Senior Economist, FHN Financial
Session Sponsored by FHN Financial

8:30-9:15 AM 
Inside Washington: ABA’s Advocacy in Action

• John Asbury
  Chair, American Bankers Association; CEO, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation
• Rob Nichols
  President and CEO, American Bankers Association
• Moderated by DeMarion Johnston
  General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Mid-Atlantic Bankers Association & Virginia Bankers Association

9:15-9:35 AM

Break & Transition to Breakout Sessions

9:35-10:25 AM
Concurrent Breakouts in Vanderbilt II & III

• Vanderbilt II:
  Acquisition vs. Retention: Balancing Growth and Loyalty
  Session Sponsored by Rivel Banking Research
  • Dailey Betz, Director of Growth, Rivel Banking Research
• Vanderbilt III:
  Winning Combination: Strategy, Culture, and Process Improvement
  Session Sponsored by Profit Resources, Inc.
  • Tom McGill, Director of Customer Experience, Profit Resources, Inc.

10:25-10:40 AM
Break & Transition to Breakout Sessions
Sponsored by Community Bankers’ Bank

10:40-11:30 AM
Concurrent Breakouts in Vanderbilt II & III

• Vanderbilt II:
  Thrive in ’25: Becoming a Smarter Bank by Leveraging AI and Technology in a Competitive Climate
  Session Sponsored by Cornerstone Advisors
  • Stacey Bryant, Director of Client Development, Cornerstone Advisors
  • Jen Wagner, Director of Business Development, Cornerstone Advisors
• Vanderbilt III:
  The Bank M&A Marketplace: What’s Changed…and What Hasn’t
  Session Sponsored by Olsen Palmer LLC
  • Christopher Olsen,  Managing Partner, Olsen Palmer LLC

Breakout Sessions in Plaza I & II

Breaks in Ritz-Carlton Ballroom Foyer

Spouse/Guest Program: Explore the Shore
Sponsored by Virginia Housing; Pre-registration required

8:30-10:00 PM

Poolside at The Family Pool

Registration Desk & Exhibit Hall Open

Exhibit Hall Open 7:30 AM- 12:00 PM
Registration Sponsored by KeyState 

Breakfast
Sponsored by Fiserv

8:15-9:00 AM

Association Business Meetings

MBA Annual Business Meeting Featured Speaker: Industry Update

Douglas E. Parrott
ICBA Secretary
President & CEO, State Bank of Toulon, Toulon, Ill.

MBA in Plaza Ballroom
VBA in Ritz-Carlton Ballroom

Ritz-Carlton Ballroom

9:15-9:20 AM
Welcome & Announcements

• Janet Currie
  President, Greater Maryland, Bank of America
  2024-2025 MBA Chair
• Victor Branch
  President, Richmond Market, Bank of America
  2024-2025 VBA Chair

9:20-10:20 AM
The AI Take-off: Implications for Business, the Economy, and the Future of Society
Anton Korinek
Professor, Department of Economics and Darden School of Business, University of Virginia

10:20-10:30 AM
Break
Sponsored by FHLBank Atlanta

10:30 AM-11:30 AM
12 Strong: An Extraordinary Mission of Commitment, Purpose, Heroism and Hope

Mark Nutsch
Green Beret Commander Portrayed in the Movie 12 Strong & New York Times Best-Seller, Horse Soldiers

Session Sponsored by Bearing Insurance

11:30 AM
Closing Announcements & Adjourn

Ritz-Carlton Ballroom

Closing Reception, Dinner & Entertainment
Reception Sponsored by Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC, SageView, VBA Benefits Corp., VOYA and Williams Mullen​;
Dinner & Entertainment Sponsored by FHLBank Atlanta

Reception – Ritz-Carlton Ballroom Salons III/IV and Foyer, Vanderbilt Courtyard and Vanderbilt Loggia

Entertainment & Dinner – Vanderbilt Ballroom

U.S. Macro Economy
Sophia Kearney-Lederman
Senior Economist, FHN Financial
Session Sponsored by FHN Financial

Sophia will provide an update on the state of the US economy. She will cover everything from growth to inflation and the labor market, and what it all means for the Federal Reserve and interest rates in 2025 and beyond.

Inside Washington: ABA’s Advocacy in Action

• John Asbury
  Chair, American Bankers Association
  CEO, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation
• Rob Nichols
  President and CEO, American Bankers Association
• Moderated by DeMarion Johnston
  General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Mid-Atlantic Bankers Association and Virginia Bankers Association

Join John Asbury and Rob Nichols for a timely and engaging discussion on key developments in Washington and how the American Bankers Association (ABA) is actively advocating on behalf of the banking industry. Gain valuable insights into the latest policy updates and ABA’s ongoing efforts to support and strengthen the industry.

Acquisition vs. Retention: Balancing Growth and Loyalty
Dailey Betz
Director of Growth, Rivel Banking Research
Session Sponsored by Rivel Banking Research

As the demand for deposits intensifies, how do you prioritize volume or sustainable quality? This session explores strategies to identify consumer needs within your market, uncover opportunities with your ideal audience, and understand what makes prospects ready for change. Gain actionable insights into striking a balance between acquiring new customers and retaining loyal ones for long-term success.

Winning Combination: Strategy, Culture, and Process Improvement
Tom McGill
Director of Customer Experience, Profit Resources, Inc.
Session Sponsored by Profit Resources, Inc.

Does your strategic plan contain a component of continuous process improvement, or does it make the list only if there is a significant catalyst for change? Does your bank’s culture support ideas from employees on how to improve processes throughout the company, whether is it is how to serve the clients or operational tasks? In this session, we will take a look at how critical it is to have process improvement as part of the ongoing strategy and culture of your bank. By doing so, your bank will improve operational efficiencies and system utilization, increase employee engagement, and deliver a better client experience.

View Tom's slides here.

The Bank M&A Marketplace: What’s Changed…and What Hasn’t
Christopher Olsen
Managing Partner, Olsen Palmer LLC
Session Sponsored by Olsen Palmer LLC

Bank M&A activity accelerated in 2024 as transaction count increased by 25% and total value increased by 300% year-over-year. Buoyed by a likely shift in the regulatory stance under Trump 2.0, the banking industry appears to be on the verge of a sizeable consolidation wave in the years ahead. Accordingly, this session will provide an engaging update on the bank M&A landscape, including transaction activity, valuations, deal drivers, key trends, and best practices.

The discussion should be useful to all bank executives and directors for navigating a potential consolidation wave, whether from the perspective of potential sellers, would-be acquirers, prospective merger counterparties, or even those intending to remain fully independent.

• Stacey Bryant 
  Director of Client Development, Cornerstone Advisors
• Jen Wagner
  Director of Business Development, Cornerstone Advisors

In this presentation, you will discover the most critical factors leveling up the financial services industry in 2025, most notably, using AI as a competitive advantage. We will examine how the market is evolving, what is driving those changes, and how your institution can adapt its strategy to remain agile and ensure it does not get left behind. We won’t leave the chat without saying who is succeeding in the current market and who is losing market share, and why.

MBA Annual Business Meeting Featured Speaker: Industry Update

Douglas E. Parrott,
ICBA Secretary
President & CEO, State Bank of Toulon, Toulon, Ill.

Doug will provide an industry update during the Maryland Bankers Association Annual Business Meeting.

View Doug's slides here.

The AI Take-off: Implications for Business, the Economy, and the Future of Society
Anton Korinek
Professor, Department of Economics and Darden School of Business, University of Virginia

This talk will examine the ongoing take-off in AI and its implications for businesses, economics, and society. It will start with trends in the scaling of computational power and the unprecedented advancements in recent months, from the development of AI agents to the potential trajectory toward artificial general intelligence (AGI), i.e., AI systems that perform at human levels across the board. We’ll explore how AI is becoming mission-critical for businesses across sectors and creating strong competitive pressures for AI adoption.

We will continue with a discussion of AI’s macroeconomic implications, explaining why the ongoing AI take-off represents a paradigm shift comparable to the Industrial Revolution, turbo-charging productivity growth, and transforming labor markets and financial systems. Finally, we will address broader societal challenges, including the risk of devaluing human labor and the concentration of technological power—critical issues that will pose fundamental challenges within the next two to three years.

12 Strong: An Extraordinary Mission of Commitment, Purpose, Heroism and Hope
Mark Nutsch
Green Beret Commander Portrayed in the Movie 12 Strong & New York Times Best-Seller, Horse Soldiers
Session Sponsored by Bearing Insurance

Green Beret Mark Nutsch takes audiences behind the scenes of the first successful Special Forces campaign that happened in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. Nutsch and his team’s powerful story inspired the major motion picture, 12 Strong, starring Chris Hemsworth as “Mitch Nelson” (Mark Nutsch). The team’s unwavering valor was also fortified by their unique, strategic partnership with their Afghan counterparts. While leveraging guerrilla tactics on horseback, his 12-man team successfully outmaneuvered the full military force of the enemy to a historic victory. On stage, Mark shares insights on leadership and team dynamics in overcoming insurmountable odds in what was described as “the most important mission of the free world.”