WOW! I CAN HARDLY BELIEVE THAT IT HAS BEEN A YEAR SINCE I BEGAN MY TENURE AS CHAIR OF NJBANKERS. IT HAS BEEN A PERIOD OF CHANGE AND CHALLENGE FOR OUR INDUSTRY, AND OUR MEMBERS, AS WE FACED VOLATILE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS, RISING INTEREST RATES AND RECESSION FEARS. BUT IT HAS ALSO BEEN A TIME WHEN OUR MEMBERS ONCE AGAIN DEMONSTRATED STRENGTH, RESOURCEFULNESS AND RESILIENCY — STEERING A STEADY COURSE THROUGH THE UNCERTAINTIES OF THE ECONOMIC CYCLE, WHILE REMAINING FOCUSED ON SERVING OUR CUSTOMERS, DEVELOPING THE POTENTIAL OF OUR EMPLOYEES AND SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITIES. I WILL ALWAYS REGARD MY YEAR AS YOUR CHAIR AS TIME WELL SPENT IN THE SERVICE OF OUR INDUSTRY AND OUR STAKEHOLDERS.
In my initial letter to the NJBankers membership, I noted, “The key to our long-term competitiveness will be the extraordinary new talent that we attract into our industry. Before we can promote our banks as an attractive career choice, we need to demonstrate that the industry is one of promise and opportunity for all.” As I reflect on my tenure in the chair’s role, I am proud of our Association’s efforts to attract, cultivate and inspire the next generation of banking professionals who will be the future leaders of our industry.
One of our most exciting talent initiatives is the aptly named Future Ready Internship Program, to be rolled out this summer. The program is designed to motivate college seniors to consider careers in banking through specialized educational offerings, as well as opportunities to network with each other, bank CEOs and other top executives. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of the NJBankers staff and members who helped establish this promising effort. The Future Ready Internship Program is a worthy addition to NJBankers’ other initiatives to develop a diverse, highly skilled talent pool, including the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council; Emerging Leaders Network; the tuition reduction program in partnership with Rider University; and our extensive professional webinar offerings.
What makes NJBankers such an effective resource for our members is our continuity and consistency of values. While the incumbent chair changes every year, our shared commitment to help our institutions grow, thrive and serve their stakeholders is enduring.
In this spirit, I want to thank John Fitzgerald for providing me with a solid foundation as my immediate predecessor as chair. And I want to wish great success to Steven Klein as he prepares to take on the chair role and to Patrick Ryan, who moves up to first vice chair. I also have had the privilege of working with our former president and CEO, John McWeeney, Jr., prior to his retirement last year, and I look forward to our continued progress under the leadership of John’s successor, Michael Affuso, who has been such a vital part of NJBankers since 2008.
We should never forget the unique role that banks play in our society. As businesses built on a leverage model, every dollar in our collective capital bases can generate many times that amount for investments in our customers and communities. We have the ability to make a tremendous positive impact, as long as our institutions are led by individuals with passion, dedication, skill and a diversity of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. And so, I will leave off where I began a year ago, by calling upon our association to do all it can to nurture the talent we need to operate our institutions — and serve our stakeholders — for the long-term. It has been a rewarding year for me, and I look forward to the positive initiatives to come from NJBankers in the years ahead.
