Pub. 7 2018 Issue 2

The CommunityBanker 8 President’s Message By Steve Yeakel, CAE VACB President & CEO A Real Friend to Virginia’s Community Bankers M E S S A G E I t’s safe to say that, through the last five months, in the hours that we didn’t spend working on S. 2155 - the bipartisan regulatory relief bill that has passed both houses of Congress and been signed into law by the President - we were at least thinking about it! While it was not the perfect bill, legislative successes in Congress are painfully rare for anyone these days, so we offered our best efforts to make it happen, and thanks to hun- dreds of Virginians and thousands of others across the nation, it did happen. But we seldom take time on the state level to properly recognize our teammates at the Independent Community Bankers of America, who provide leadership and strategy and no small amount of energy, playing a major role in the successes we have achieved over the past few years. I’m referring to success in the legislative and regulatory arenas, to be sure, but also in several other areas that are critical to the vitality of our state association. Time and space don’t allow me to list the dozens of professionals at ICBA with whom I interact on a regular basis. Certainly, the government relations team has been front and cen- ter for the last several months, and will continue to be our primary focus moving forward. The public policy staff have also been of significant assistance. So, too, have many others who work in public relations, marketing, products and services, vendor relations, member services, and meetings. They do a terrific job for you, and as an important component of that, provide me (read “us”) with critical information and timely responses whenever they are needed. I am compelled to mention one person who serves as our “catalyst” in connecting VACB and the other state associations with ICBA staff, along with being our eyes, ears and ad- vocate with ICBA leadership. Joe Schneider, Senior VP for State Relations, has been a true champion for the 25 state associations that affiliate solely with ICBA, and several others who dually affiliate with both national associations. It is a privilege to work with him. Finally, the transition in ICBA leadership deserves to be recognized. Rarely in my career have I seen the perfect person for their time step away, only to be succeeded by the perfect person for their time. It’s undisputable that Cam Fine was able to lead America’s commu- nity banks through a very unique and challenging time, bringing the tools that were most needed to get the job done. Rebeca Romero Rainey brings an incredible set of tools to a job that is now much different than it was when Cam arrived on the scene. If her first few months are any indication, ICBA members have the right person in the right place at the right time. Again. ICBA, VACB, your bank and you. One strong team, now and moving forward. We seldom take time on the state level to property recognize our teammates at the ICBA.