As 2025 has come to a close, VACB finds itself on solid ground. Over the past 12 months, our Board, member banks, associate members, and staff have contributed an extraordinary amount of candid feedback and undertaken substantive planning. The result is the VACB Board-adopted 2025-2026 Alignment Plan, a practical roadmap designed to strengthen member value, operational effectiveness, and the voice of Virginia’s community banking sector.

What makes this Alignment Plan different from past planning cycles is its purpose. This is a bridge plan. First, it positions the association for a comprehensive strategic planning process in 2026. But the plan also prioritizes foundational improvements that respond directly to what our members told us they need most right now.

Advocacy and Policy: Focused and Forward-Looking

Advocacy remains at the core of VACB’s mission. In 2025, member feedback could not have been clearer: Virginia’s community banks are increasingly concerned about accelerating credit union expansion, the erosion of competitive balance, and the need for more proactive education of policymakers. The Alignment Plan responds by prioritizing a coordinated public relations and advocacy strategy that builds toward the 2026 General Assembly session.

The plan also lays the groundwork for developing a statewide community bank policy primer and a white paper demonstrating the economic impact of community banks across Virginia. This includes rural regions where our members often serve as the last, best source of relationship lending.

Education and Programming: Modernized, Data Driven, and Member-Centric

Members consistently value VACB’s educational programming, but they also asked for modernization and a closer alignment with functional needs inside the bank. In response, the VACB Alignment Plan launches a comprehensive audit of our educational offerings, reengages our Education Programming Task Group for their feedback, and introduces expanded peer-based collaboration.

The development of two new high-value program additions is already underway:

• Fraud & Cyber Information-Sharing Group: A new listserv and peer group modeled on successful programs in neighboring states.
• Forum Expansion: Introduction of a new Operations Forum, similar to our highly successful Compliance Forum model, to create a network of community bankers that can engage throughout the year to learn from experts and one another in their operations roles.

These changes come as a direct reflection of what members told us at our spring member roundtables and throughout 2025: They want more peer access, more specialization, and more practical tools for engagement.

Member Engagement: Listening, Measuring, and Deepening Relationships

We heard strong interest in clearer communication about VACB’s value and a more formal process for gathering and reporting member feedback. To meet that need, the Alignment Plan includes a full membership and stakeholder survey in 2026, the creation of a redesigned VACB Annual Report, and a systematic relationship audit to ensure we are engaging the right individuals at each member institution.

Operations and Governance: Strengthening the Foundation

Finally, we will continue to focus on the foundation upon which the organization is built. The plan focuses on improving internal systems so VACB can operate more efficiently and deliver value more effectively. These operational upgrades are the supporting beams that will eventually hold up our next full strategic plan.

As we begin 2026, our message is simple: VACB is aligning, modernizing, and preparing for the future with clarity and intention. The Alignment Plan is not the finish line. It is the launching point for the most robust strategic planning process our association has undertaken in more than a decade. Most importantly, every step reflects what you have asked us to do.

I look forward to continuing to work with you as we build our future together.