On October 2, community bankers from around the Commonwealth will gather at the beautiful Williamsburg Lodge and Conference Center in Colonial Williamsburg for the 45th Annual Convention and Trade Show. I truly hope you join us for this year’s convention. It’s a great time to reconnect with each other, hear presentations from industry thought leaders, as well as engage with our associate members.

I appreciate the support and input we have received from our members over the past year. It began with a member outreach telephone initiative last fall, followed by six in-person regional meetings from March through June this year. This input, combined with a robust board survey, has been invaluable as your VACB Executive Committee launched the strategic planning process. A special thanks to Mary Beth Sullivan, Managing Director of Capitol Performance Group (CPG), who led our board retreat on August 19. In addition to revisiting our current mission statement and evaluating near-term operating priorities to drive member value, we also challenged ourselves to assess the long-term impacts of industry consolidation in the Commonwealth.

What is the top priority identified by our members and board? Quite simply … undiluted advocacy for community banks. Our strategic planning work will continue over the coming weeks and months as the board navigates both challenges and opportunities. Thank you for your guidance thus far in the process.

In addition to observing the contributions of our members over the past 12 months, I certainly want to recognize the work of your board, especially the Executive Committee, including Chair-Elect, Jay Stafford; Vice-Chair, Tara Harrison; ICBA Delegate Mark Hanna; President & CEO Steve Yeakel; and immediate past Chairman, Mike Thomas. This team has been laser-focused on key issues of the association throughout the year.

I look forward to working with Jay Stafford and the entire Executive Committee over the next twelve months. Jay will be an exceptional leader as your incoming Chair. We have known one another for years and have a strong working relationship. He is thoughtful, engaging and collaborative. Jay is inquisitive, drives outcomes, and is the perfect leader to put our strategic plan into action.

In closing, serving as your VACB chair over the past year has been extremely rewarding. In addition to learning so much more about the VACB, ICBA, and critical issues facing community banks, I was able to visit and connect with many Virginia bankers with whom I had not previously met. Thank you for your time, encouragement, support, and counsel. I challenge each of you to become more engaged with the association. Not only will it benefit the association and industry, but you and your bank will benefit directly.

I look forward to seeing each of you in Williamsburg for the convention.

Dennis