Pub. 14 2019-2020 Issue 3

WWW.NEBANKERS.ORG 8 WASHINGTON UPDATE Redefining ‘‘Banker’’ T HOSE OF YOU READING THIS COLUMN HAVE A GOOD IDEA of the variety of jobs held by the twomillion women and men who work for America’s banks. But many would-be bankers don’t. That lack of awareness can be an obstacle to recruiting talent in an increas- ingly tight job market, particularly among younger generations whose “bank” is their smartphone and who therefore may have less personal exposure to actual bank employees. To address that, ABA’s Emerging Leaders Council recommended a series of profiles of real- life bankers in a range of roles and at various stages in their careers. They believed that no one can be a better ambassador for careers in banking than those who are currently finding success and fulfillment in banking roles. They were so right. Visit aba. com/CareersInBanking and you’ll see what I mean. There you will find video profiles of several talented in- dividuals who are proud to be bankers and who will make you proud, too. They work in functions rang- ing from digital strategist to agri- business lender and from head of retail banking to communications director. They also work at banks of all sizes, some in big cities, others in small towns. And no matter what role they serve in, these bankers believe the opportunity, impact and rewards associated with their jobs are hard to beat. “It’s a satisfying feeling at the end of the day to be driv- ing down the road and see a new building or a new busi- ness or someone out with a new farm machine and know they came to you to help with that,” says Tyler Stevenson, commercial and agribusiness lender with First National Bank of Omaha. What does it mean to be a banker today? Rob Nichols, President & CEO American Bankers Association