This conference is designed for all who would like to participate in engaging and thought-provoking sessions on assisting women in finding success in the banking industry. ​

Agenda

wednesday, December 2, 2026

2:00 – 2:30 pm	Registration
2:30 – 4:00 pm	Reject the Hustle: How Saying No Makes Space for HECK YES Allyson Twiggs | The Twiggs Group   In this impactful presentation, Allyson Twiggs explores the pressing issue of toxic hustle culture and its impact on our well-being. Through her own experiences and expertise, she highlights the importance of practicing self-care and setting boundaries in the pursuit of a fulfilling life. Allyson shares practical insights on how saying “no” can be a transformative tool in reclaiming balance and making room for an enthusiastic “heck yes” to the things that truly matter.
4:00 – 5:30 pm	Welcome Reception Sponsored by FHLBank of Atlanta

Thursday, December 3, 2026

7:45 – 8:30 am	Registration/Continental Breakfast
8:30 – 8:40 am	Welcome and Announcements
8:40 – 9:40 am	The Voice of the Brand: Why Women are Key to Building Trust Amber Farley | FMS   In a world where trust is the true currency of banking, brand is everything — and women are uniquely positioned to shape it. Whether you’re leading a team, serving customers, or representing your bank in the community, you are the voice of the brand. This session explores the powerful role women play in building brand trust — both for their institutions and for themselves. Drawing on real-life examples from bank rebrands and branding strategy work across the country, we’ll uncover how qualities often attributed to women — empathy, intuition, consistency, and authenticity — are not only leadership strengths but brand-building superpowers. We’ll also explore how women can lift each other up — advocating for one another’s voices, celebrating each other’s strengths, and creating a culture of support that strengthens both personal and institutional brands. You’ll leave this session with a deeper understanding of: How women across all roles can embody and influence the brand every day Why your personal brand matters – and how to develop it with clarity and confidence The importance of championing one another to build trust, amplify impact, and lead with purpose   Whether you’re in marketing, management, operations, or lending, this session will help you see yourself as more than your title — you are a brand ambassador, a culture shaper, a trust builder, and a champion for others.
9:40 – 9:55 am	Networking Break
9:55 – 10:55 am	The Power of Holistic Health: Redefining Women’s Wellbeing Lisa Comerose & Betsy Nota-Kirby | Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC   The Power of Holistic Health: Women’s Well-Being explores women’s health as an interconnected experience shaped by hormonal, mental, cardiovascular, and everyday lifestyle factors across every stage of life. The session will examine how issues such as menopause, fertility, caregiving demands, stress, and heart health can affect women’s energy, confidence, productivity, and long-term well-being. Attendees will gain practical insights for recognizing health needs earlier, building sustainable habits, and advocating for more comprehensive support at work and at home. The discussion will also consider how women’s health is evolving beyond a narrow focus on reproductive care toward a broader, life-stage approach that includes personalized care, mental health resources, and inclusive benefits. For women in banking, the session will highlight how to prepare for changing expectations around workplace flexibility, benefits, leadership, and support for employees and clients navigating these issues. Ultimately, participants will leave better equipped to make informed health decisions, promote meaningful conversations, and help shape workplaces that support women’s well-being throughout their careers.
10:55 – 11:10 am	Networking Break
11:10 am – 12:10 pm	MythBusters: Who Made These Rules Anyway?
12:10 – 1:00 pm	Lunch
1:00 – 2:00 pm	Stronger for the Climb: Unexpected Lessons in Purpose, Perseverance, and Leadership Mandi Gilbert | Primis Bank   Some of the most valuable leadership lessons aren’t learned in a boardroom. They’re learned when things don’t go according to plan. Through personal stories from unconventional endurance challenges, Primis Bank’s Mandi Gilbert shares how stepping outside her comfort zone reshaped her understanding of success, resilience, and what it means to lead. Attendees will explore the power of finding purpose in difficult moments, reframing setbacks as opportunities for growth, and creating environments where others feel empowered to take on challenges. As banking continues to evolve and leaders navigate increasing complexity and change, these lessons offer a practical reminder that progress rarely follows a straight path. Participants will leave with a fresh perspective on how to approach challenges, support their teams, and keep moving forward—even when the outcome looks different than expected.
2:00 – 2:15 pm	Networking Break
2:15 – 3:15 pm	CLOSING KEYNOTE SESSION Braving Change: Resilient through Disruption – Stay Steady in Uncertainty & Chaos Velera Wilson | Positive Identity   Change is inevitable – how you navigate it is everything! In this keynote, Velera helps leaders rethink change so they can face it with courage and a growth mindset. Through practical anecdotes, personal stories, and real-world insights, you will walk away with tools to navigate uncertainty, stay focused during the “messy middle,” move forward with purpose – and help others do the same. You will learn how to: Spot and address the Four Uncertainties of Change™ that can stall progress and drain productivity for any organization Reframe and leverage change as a catalyst for courageous leadership and growth Apply a four-step resilience method to stay sharp and steady under pressure – without sacrificing wellbeing Create a future-focused view that fuels energy and drive even in uncertainty
3:30 pm	Conference Adjourns

Meet Your Conference Emcee

Shannon Shaw | Towne Bank
Shannon Shaw is a VP and Private Banker at TowneBank in Richmond. She has 3 decades of banking experience and thrives on building long-lasting relationships with her members. Shannon graduated from the Virginia Bankers School of Bank Management at UVA in 2018 and enjoys meeting community bankers from all over. Shannon lives in Goochland with her husband Bill, and she absolutely loves spending time with her adult children and 2 grandsons! When she is not working you can find her sitting on a beach with her toes in the sand!

Meet the Speakers & Panelists

Lisa Comerose | Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC
Lisa Comerose, RN, BSN, MBA is Senior Vice President of National Clinical Management Consulting at Marsh Agency, where she leads a nationwide team of RN clinical consultants supporting clients and internal partners in developing strategies to reduce health care costs and improve outcomes for employees of middle-market companies. A seasoned health care leader with more than 30 years of experience, Lisa brings deep expertise across patient care, consulting, account management, and product and program development with national carriers in both local and national markets.

Lisa is a sought-after speaker on employee benefit trends, women’s health and wellbeing, cost-effective benefits management, and preventive care strategy. Most recently, she was honored to participate in the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care Conference, where she addressed timely questions facing employers and health care leaders. Her recent speaking engagements also include co-leading sessions such as “Making the Business Case for Women’s Heart Health” at the Women’s Heart Health Summit.

Prior to her leadership role at Marsh Agency, Lisa served as Director of Clinical Programs and Account Management Executive at Elevance-Anthem BCBS, where she provided clinical insights for national accounts. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Old Dominion University and an MBA from Averett University. Lisa is also a registered nurse in Virginia and a former board member of the American Diabetes Association and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, where she served as Procurement Chair and helped coordinate an annual fundraising events that raised more than $1 million for diabetes research.

Amber Farley | FMS
Amber Farley, Partner & EVP of Brand Development at FMS, is a well-known and respected teacher, presenter, consultant and thought leader on bank branding, marketing and leadership strategies for banks around the country. She strategizes ways to help banks be purpose-driven, inspirational and more relevant to today’s customer—including both internal and external customers, and regularly presents and teaches at national banking schools, banking conferences, and other statewide banking institutions.

Mandi Gilbert | Primis Bank
Mandi Gilbert is Senior Vice President and Director of Marketing at Primis Bank, bringing nearly 20 years of marketing experience, including more than a decade in banking. She leads marketing strategy across the bank’s consumer, commercial, mortgage, and digital banking businesses, with a focus on building strong brands, driving growth, and connecting strategy with meaningful results.

Beyond her professional role, Mandi has embraced endurance challenges that have reshaped her perspective on success, resilience, and leadership. She brings those experiences to her approach to leading teams, navigating setbacks, and finding purpose in doing hard things.

Betsy Nota-Kirby | Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC
Betsy Nota-Kirby is responsible for leading a national team of Marsh Agency’s health management consultants to design and execute a nationally integrated, comprehensive well-being strategy for middle market clients. Betsy joined Marsh agency in 2018 and is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

She is an accomplished population health consultant with extensive experience leading strategy, product development, design, implementation and operations of health and wellness products including clinical vendor assessment and worksite clinic consulting. Betsy holds a bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Eastern Michigan University as well as a master’s degree in kinesiology from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She is an ACSM® certified exercise specialist as well as a Wellcoaches® certified health and wellness coach.

Betsy has been in the medical management and insurance industry for 40 years. She was previously the Director of Medical Management Operations for Centene, Inc. She also previously ran her own health care consulting company and held advanced roles with Humana, Aetna, and the University of Michigan Health System.

Allyson Twiggs | The Twiggs Group
Allyson Twiggs is the Founder of The Twiggs Group, a bank marketing agency with more than a decade of experience in helping banks connect with their customers. In 2019, Allyson launched Reject the Hustle, a movement aimed at promoting self-care and challenging the notion that relentless hustle is the only path to success. 

 

Velera Wilson | Positive Identity
Velera Wilson is a global speaker, author, and leadership development consultant that helps leaders and teams increase confidence, performance, and navigate change strategically.

With nearly two decades leading and driving multi-million revenue for global brands, Velera founded Positive Identity, a company that partners with organizations to develop confident, skilled, high performing talent through training programs and events.

From her award-winning book, “You’re Absolutely Worth It”, TEDx talk, research, to interviews with media outlets, Velera delivers transformative messages that help people break through limiting beliefs, embrace change, do “it” scared, and achieve incredible results.

Registration Information

For registration assistance, please reach out to Marie Basil.

Members	Non-Members
$625	$1,125

Register Now!

MBA/VBA EVENT POLICIES

By registering for this event, you are agreeing to the MBA/VBA Event Policies and the Privacy Policy.

CANCELLATION POLICY

All cancellations will be charged a $25.00 administrative fee. Cancellations received after November 24, 2026 will be charged a $75.00 administrative fee plus any additional fees associated with the training. Substitutions are allowed prior to the beginning of the conference.

SPECIAL NEEDS & AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES NOTICE

Please share any specific needs that should be considered as we plan for the event (i.e. hearing impaired, sight impaired, etc.). Please contact Michele Dunn with any details.

Location & Hotel Accommodations

Kingsmill Resort
1010 Kingsmill Road
Williamsburg, VA 23185

A room block has been reserved at the negotiated rate of $179/night, plus taxes and fees. Click here to make your reservation by the cut-off date, November 17, 2026.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Interested in sponsoring this event? Check out the available options here and you can view our complete Sponsor Brochure here. Contact Amy Binns.