As I plan for next month’s Leadership Conference, it’s top of my mind to come back to the original intention of creating a designated event for emerging leaders and members of the Emerging Bank Leaders (EBL) group in 2012: to provide a forum in which future Virginia bank leaders can come together, network with their peers, discuss the current industry environment and leave with some ideas on how to remain competitive and successful as they move forward in their careers.

In the “what’s old is new” category, the VBA has had a number of different names for our emerging leaders efforts over the years, starting with the Young Bankers Section (YBS), which was a significant part of the VBA in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s and fostered leadership and networking opportunities during a period of major changes in the industry. The YBS served as a training ground for future bank executives, many of whom are now bank CEOs and reference the efforts of the group to this day, citing YBS as having provided a valuable networking forum for them. The 1990s launched a period of consolidation for Virginia’s banking industry. and the VBA merged with the Virginia League of Savings Institutions in 1994, absorbing its members and adding strength to the organization. Through all these changes, the YBS provided a platform for its members to navigate and adapt to an evolving landscape, which included the expansion of bank powers and technological advances. YBS members also played a role in proactive efforts to keep Virginia banks at the forefront of change through grassroots legislative engagement.

Like its predecessor, the EBL, which revived the former YBS as the Leadership Division in 2009 and rebranded to EBL in 2015, engages emerging leaders from across the state and focuses on networking, professional development, advocacy and exposure to the broader industry. A big part of the revival focused on in-person events, since this was before the pandemic and the vast abilities we now have to connect virtually. And while virtual training and meetings create many opportunities to learn from the comfort of your office, there is still an important place for the type of in-person forum that we created thirteen years ago with the Leadership Conference. Being together for a dedicated period of time allows emerging bank leaders to form the kinds of relationships that they will look back on and say – yes, that group of people helped me to navigate my banking career through a tremendous amount of change (however different that change looks now vs. in the ‘90s).

As we look ahead to this year’s Leadership Conference, it’s clear that the value of bringing emerging leaders together in-person remains as strong as ever; even stronger now that the Conference also includes participants from Maryland through the VBA/MBA merger. The landscape may have shifted—from the consolidation era of the 1990s to today’s rapid technological evolution—but the need to connect, collaborate, and  learn together endures. The Conference continues to honor the legacy of the YBS – and now the EBL – by fostering the kind of relationships and insights that help shape resilient, forward-thinking leaders. I’m excited to see how this year’s participants will carry that tradition forward, building networks and gaining perspectives that will serve them—and the banking industry—well into the future.