2022 VBA Annual Convention
Event Portal

Internal Links Monica McDearmon Amy Binns

We are thrilled to welcome you to the Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront for our event! This year’s Convention will combine a great lineup of speakers on timely topics and networking with bankers and industry providers. We are excited to come together, enjoy each other’s company and educate ourselves on industry topics together.

Please bookmark this page for easy access during the event!

Thank you to our portal sponsor, Global Payments

BLURB GOOD FOR 2023
Global Payments is one of the nation’s leading providers of payment processing services. Committed to providing state-of-the-art payment technology and data security, Global Payments offers innovative solutions to satisfy the needs and demands of your business clients. With an infrastructure designed to support financial institutions of all sizes, Global Payments offers specialized tools and services to help you maximize merchant acquisition and retention. Their dedicated business development support team and customized sales programs will help drive your institution’s non-interest income growth.
VBA Endorsed Provider

Joanne Tyrrell
Vice President, Financial Institutions
(813) 853-3593 
joanne.tyrrell@globalpay.com
https://lp.globalpaymentsintegrated.com/lps/fi-agent/

Convention Dates, About the Hotels & Attire

Convention dates

June 19-22, 2022

About the marriott virginia beach oceanfront

4201 Atlantic Avenue
Virginia Beach, Virginia 23451

Marriott Resort Virginia Beach Oceanfront is located just off the north end of the famous Virginia Beach boardwalk and is a part of The Cavalier Resort, with The Historic Cavalier Hotel just across the street. 

About the Cavalier Hotel

Born of the Big Band era, host to ten Presidents, and a Virginia Beach icon, The Cavalier is steeped in stories — and has now been re-imagined for generations to come. Set atop of one of Virginia Beach’s highest hills overlooking the Atlantic, The Cavalier is among the country’s most notable historic hotels, and still brims with the elegance and hospitality of a bygone era. Following an extensive renovation a top-to-bottom multi-year restoration, the soul of its origins remain — now accented by plenty of luxurious surprises aimed at today’s savvy traveler. 

Parking Information

Parking at the Marriott:

Parking at the Marriott is self parking in the parking garage attached to the hotel. Upon check in, let the front desk know that you have a car in the garage to get it added to your room. Guests will need to scan their hotel key to enter and exit the garage. Please keep at least one of your hotel keys at check out to exit the garage!

Day parking is $2 per hour or $20 for the day. Overnight parking is $22 and will be charged to the guest room.

Parking at the Cavalier: 

Parking at the Cavalier is valet only. Overnight parking is $26 and will be charged to the guest room. If visiting the Cavalier for an event or dinner, parking is $5.

Attire

Attire for all VBA events is resort casual. Resort casual attire includes collared shirts, casual slacks and shorts. Dress requirements may vary with the specific restaurant or activity. 

About Virginia Beach

Where the Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean, the vibrant coastal city of Virginia Beach is home to a flourishing local culinary scene, rich history, a variety of arts and entertainment and family-friendly attractions that keeps our locals and visitors entertained year-round. 

Agenda & Attendee Roster

Roster of Attendees

130th Annual Convention Roster

Agenda – All convention events will take place at the marriott

Download a copy of the Convention agenda here!

See the “Speaker Information & Session Materials” dropdown below for full Business Session descriptions.

Sunday,
June 19th
Event Location
3:00PM – 6:00PM Registration & Refreshments
Sponsored by FHLBank Atlanta
Seaside Registration and Prefunction
6:00PM – 7:00PM Welcome Reception
Sponsored by Investors Title

Island Lawn, West Lawn and Ocean Lawn

Weather Backup: Seaside Ballroom
Monday,
June 20th
Event Location

7:30AM – 8:00AM

Registration & Breakfast
Registration Sponsored by FHLBank Atlanta
Breakfast Sponsored by Genesys Technology Group

Seaside Registration and Prefunction
8:00AM – 12:15PM Business Session
Sponsored by Genesys Technology Group
Seaside Ballroom
 

8:00am – 8:02am 

Welcome

Leton Harding

President & CEO, Powell Valley National Bank
2021-2022 VBA Chairman

 

8:02am – 8:45am

Core Technology Market Update

David Saylor
Founder & President, Genesys Technology Group, LLC

 

8:45am – 8:50am

Past ABA Chairs Panel Introduction

Leton Harding

President & CEO, Powell Valley National Bank
2021-2022 VBA Chairman

 

8:50am – 9:50am

Past ABA Chairs Panel

Featuring:

  • Betsy Duke
    Former Member, Federal Reserve Board of Governors
    Past American Bankers Association and Virginia Bankers Association Chair
  • Jim Edwards
    CEO, United Bank | Griffin, GA
    Past American Bankers Association Chair
  • Jeff Szyperski
    Chairman, President and CEO, Chesapeake Bank
    Past American Bankers Association and Virginia Bankers Association Chair
  • Bruce Whitehurst
    President & CEO, Virginia Bankers Association

9:50am – 10:05am
VBA Elections & Installation of Officers
Leton Harding

President & CEO, Powell Valley National Bank
2021-2022 VBA Chairman

 

10:05am – 10:15am

Break

 

10:15am – 11:15am

The Fed’s Battle to Achieve a Soft-Landing in 2022 – What Are the Chances?

Dr. Ed Seifried
Professor Emeritus of Economics and Business, Lafayette College
Executive Consultant, Sheshunoff CEO Affiliation Programs
Chief Economist, SB Value Partners

 

11:15am – 12:15pm

Political Update

Margaret Talev
Managing Editor, Axios
Analyst, CNN

 
12:15PM – 12:45PM Registration Desk Open
Sponsored by FHLBank Atlanta
Seaside Registration and Prefunction
12:30PM-2:30PM

Guest Program: An Afternoon with Adriana Trigiani, New York Times Bestselling Author

Goodman

6:30PM – 9:15PM

Reception and Dinner
An Evening with the Birthplace of Country Music, Featuring 49 Winchester
Sponsored by Marsh McLellan Agency, SageView, VBA Benefits Corp. and Voya
Seaside Event Terrace and Ballroom
Tuesday,
June 21st
Event Location

7:30AM – 8:00AM

Registration & Breakfast
Registration Sponsored by FHLBank Atlanta
Breakfast Sponsored by Piper Sandler

Seaside Registration and Prefunction
8:00AM – 11:45AM Business Session
Sponsored by Piper Sandler
Seaside Ballroom
 

8:00am – 8:02am

Welcome

Bruce Whitehurst
President & CEO, Virginia Bankers Association

 

8:02am – 8:45am

Balance Sheet Strategies & Considerations Utilizing the Capital & Merger Markets

  • Avi J. Barak
    Managing Director, Investment Banking/Financial Services Group, Piper Sandler & Co.
  • Scott Hildenbrand
    Managing Director, Chief Balance Sheet Strategist, Head of Piper Sandler Financial Strategies, Piper Sandler & Co.

8:45am – 8:50am

Announcements

Bruce Whitehurst
President & CEO, Virginia Bankers Association

 

8:50am – 9:15am

President’s Report, VBA BankPAC Report & VBA Education Foundation Report

  • Bruce Whitehurst
    President & CEO, Virginia Bankers Association
  • Maria Tedesco
    President & COO, Atlantic Union Bank
    VBA Government Relations Committee Chair
  • Scott Harvard
    CEO & Director, First Bank, Virginia
    VBA Education Foundation Chair

9:15am – 9:30am

Chairman’s Remarks

Leton Harding
President & CEO, Powell Valley National Bank
2021-2022 VBA Chairman

 

9:30am – 10:30am

The Zeitgeist of Banking -
Lies, Damned Lies, Trends, Fads and How to Tell the Difference

Jimmy Sawyers
Chairman & Co-Founder, Sawyers & Jacobs LLC

 

10:30am – 10:45am

Break

 

10:45am – 11:45am

Future Trends: Is It Different This Time?

Mark Zinder
Futurist and Leading Trend Forecaster, Mark Zinder and Associates

 
11:45AM – 12:15PM Registration Desk Open
Sponsored by FHLBank Atlanta
Seaside Registration and Prefunction
6:00PM – 7:00PM

Farewell Reception
Sponsored by Bankers Insurance

The Beach Bar and Grill and Island Lawn

Weather Backup: Seaside Ballroom
Wednesday, 
June 22nd
Departure

Speaker Information & Session Materials

About Our Keynote Speakers

View the bios for all of our keynote speakers here!

Session Information

Monday, June 20th  
Core Technology Market Update
David Saylor
Founder & President
Genesys Technology Group, LLC

As community bankers, we have spent the last two decades reacting to market conditions that dictated the need for cost compression, vendor consolidation, and outsourcing.  The pandemic and market disruptors are re-shaping the bank technology landscape at break-neck speeds. In this session, David Saylor (Founder of Genesys Technology Group) will provide an update on the core vendor market while taking a closer look at the disruptors that are forcing community banks to rethink decades of strategic moves.

Core Technology Market Update Presentation

Past ABA Chairs Panel

  • Betsy Duke
    Former Member, Federal Reserve Board of Governors
    Past American Bankers Association and Virginia Bankers Association Chair
  • Jim Edwards
    CEO, United Bank | Griffin, GA
    Past American Bankers Association Chair
  • Jeff Szyperski
    Chairman, President and CEO, Chesapeake Bank
    Past American Bankers Association and Virginia Bankers Association Chair

Moderator:

  • Bruce Whitehurst
    President & CEO, Virginia Bankers Association

These three past American Bankers Association chairs were also chairs of their respective state bankers association, with Betsy Duke leading the VBA from 1999-2000, Jeff Szyperski as the VBA chair from 2012-2013 and Jim Edwards as the past chair of the Georgia Bankers Association in 2013.  Panelists will offer their perspectives on top banking industry challenges and opportunities.

The Fed’s Battle to Achieve a Soft-Landing in 2022 – What Are the Changes?
Dr. Ed Seifried
Professor Emeritus of Economics and Business, Lafayette College
Executive Consultant, Sheshunoff CEO Affiliation Programs
Chief Economist, SB Value Partners

We are into the third year of the Covid Pandemic, and it is now clear the fiscal and monetary stimuli applied to defeat the economic downturn caused by the virus was way too strong.  In late 2021, the Fed announced a major policy pivot away from fighting the high unemployment caused by the Covid recession to combating the highest inflation this nation has experienced in decades. In addition, the current Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused additional inflationary pressures to erupt in the energy and commodity sectors, with certain commodities reaching historic record highs.  The most important issue at this moment is how the Federal Reserve will respond to the current inflationary spiral. Can the Fed combat current inflation without weakening the economy so much as to cause another recession, the so-called soft landing?  Dr Ed will discuss all the monetary policy weapons that the Fed will deploy to fight this inflation monster.  Higher policy rates and changes in the Fed’s balance sheet will work to slow inflation but will also create new forces that may impact the economy in unforeseen ways. 

Political Update
Margaret Talev
Managing Editor, Axios
CNN Analyst

During this session, Margaret will discuss the 2022 midterms — from what VA’s governor’s race told us, to what this year’s primaries so far tell us (OH, PA, GA and more), to what to expect in November, including:

  • Trump v Biden in 2024, or if not, then who? 
  • What a GOP flip of the House (+ Senate?) could mean
  • Where the Russian invasion of Ukraine is going…
  • Biden’s stamp on Fed/financial services (Barr nomination; Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s impact on admin policies)

Political Update Presentation

Tuesday, June 21st  

Balance Sheet Strategies & Considerations Utilizing Capital & Merger Markets
Avi J. Barak
Managing Director, Investment Banking/Financial Services Group
Piper Sandler & Co.

Scott Hildenbrand
Managing Director, Chief Balance Sheet Strategist,
Head of Piper Sandler Financial Strategies
Piper Sandler & Co.

Avi and Scott will explore opportunities within the capital and merger markets on current and future bank balance sheets. Given the dynamic operating and interest rate environment, along with unrelenting competitive pressures, Scott and Avi will explore ways that your bank can identify existing and potential pressure points and evaluate strategies to combat them.

Balance Sheet Strategies and Considerations Utilizing Capital and Merger Markets Presentation

The Zeitgeist of Banking: Lies, Damned Lies, Trends, Fads and How to Tell the Difference
Jimmy Sawyers
Chairman & Co-Founder, Sawyers & Jacobs LLC

Infinite opportunities and threats. Finite resources. This is the state of banking today. Knowing the trends and deciding which to pursue can make or break your organization for years to come.  Determining which opportunities to seize and which to forgo is the foundation of strategy and can set your bank on a path to success or failure. Picking one’s battles has never been more important, especially in the areas of technology and cybersecurity. Learn which technological innovations are worth your time and attention and which are simply fads driven by hyperbole as Jimmy takes you on a journey through the latest tech trends with a humorous yet no-nonsense look at the business issues that impact us most. Gain strategic insight and valuable takeaways from one of the most informed and independent voices in the industry as your organization prepares for an exciting yet uncertain future.

The Zeitgeist of Banking: Lies, Damned Lies, Trends, Fads and How to Tell the Difference Presentation

Future Trends: Is It Different this Time?
Mark Zinder
Futurist and Leading Trend Forecaster, Mark Zinder and Associates 

While working for Sir John Templeton in the mid-1990s, he once told Mark that the person who says, “This time is different, when in fact it’s virtually a repeat of an earlier situation, has uttered the four most costly words in the annals of investing.” That was over 25 years ago, and even though many of Mr. Templeton’s sentiments on investing remain true today, is this one of them? In this presentation, Mark will discuss the Federal Reserve, its history and their “new tools” . Mark will also discuss why many economists at the Fed believe inflation has peaked and then finally, what happens when the pandemic is over. He will also explore the more current events that are not rooted in any historical context that might have you asking, “Is it different this time?”

Future Trends Presentation

Future Trends Resources

Guest Program: An Afternoon with Adriana Trigiani, New York Times Bestselling Author

View the Guest Program roster here!

Monday, June 20th from 12:30-2:30 p.m.
Goodman Room

Join 2021-2022 VBA Chairman Leton Harding and his wife, Tammie, immediately following Monday’s Business Session for lunch with Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of 20 books in fiction and nonfiction.  You may know her best from her Big Stone Gap series, based on the Southwest Virginia town, and now a major motion picture starring Ashley Judd, Patrick Wilson, Whoopi Goldberg, John Benjamin Hickey, Jane Krakowski, Anthony LaPaglia, and Jenna Elfman. Trigiani’s other books include The Shoemaker’s Wife, the Valentine trilogy and Lucia, Lucia.  Trigiani will join us to talk about her latest novel, The Good Left Undone, that was published in April 2022, and her work with The Origin Project. All registrants will have the opportunity to meet and interact with Trigiani and will receive a FREE copy of The Good Left Undone.

The deadline to register for the guest program was June 10th. Please contact Gail Queen with any changes in plans. To receive a refund, attendees must have cancelled before June 10th.

Monday Reception & Dinner: An Evening with the Birthplace of Country Music

Monday, June 20th from 6:30-9:00 p.m.
Seaside Event Terrace & Ballroom

The Birthplace of Country Music is a nonprofit organization that seeks to perpetuate, promote, and celebrate Bristol’s rich musical heritage; to educate and engage audiences worldwide regarding the history, impact and legacy of the 1927 Bristol Sessions from which we derive their name; and to create recognition, opportunities, and economic benefit for their local and regional communities. BCM accomplishes this mission through its three primary branches (Museum, Festival, and Radio), special projects and events, and a multitude of community and educational outreach programs.

During our Monday evening dinner, we are excited to feature 49 Winchester. With its latest album, “Fortune Favors The Bold,” Russell County, Virginia-based 49 Winchester has a unique brand of tear-in-your-beer alt-country, sticky barroom floor rock-n-roll, and high-octane Appalachian folk. Formed eight years ago on Winchester Street in the small mountain town of Castlewood, Virginia, the band started as a rag tag bunch of neighborhood teenagers who just wanted to get together for the sake of playing together. 

Learn more about 49 Winchester here.

Daily Newsletters

Thank you to our daily newsletter sponsor, PCBB!

Wifi Information

While onsite at the Marriott, please use the following network/password during the business sessions. Thank you to our wifi sponsor, TBL Networks!

Network: VBA2022
Password: TBLNETWORKS

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

Thank you to our event sponsors! Without their support, we could not stage a Convention to the scale we have this year. Please show your appreciation to them during the Convention.

Contact Amy Binns for more information about sponsorship opportunities. Current sponsors click here to register for any VBA activities.

Contribute to the 2022 VBA Education Foundation Annual Fund Campaign – Help Us Reach Our $65,000 Goal!

Please complete this form to help the VBA Education Foundation reach the 2022 goal of $65,000 for the Annual Fund Campaign by making a contribution to the Walter Ayers Fund for Financial Education. Contributions to this year’s campaign can be made via check or credit card.

CPE Information

Please complete this form to receive Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits for this year’s Convention.