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Summary
For the last 14 years, the Community Bankers Conference, created by SNL Financial, has been the premier forum at which influential executives, board members, investors, technology providers, and advisers put forward their visions, views of the strategic issues facing community banks, and actions for success.
Community banking in 2025 was characterized by a complex mix of resilience, excitement, caution, and curiosity. With the improved regulatory tenor, the Fed’s pivot to lowering rates, and credit remaining relatively benign, banks are ready to reap the benefits of the momentum heading into 2026. Yet the sector faces long-term headwinds that could reshape confidence and strategy. Community banks must question whether the business model can endure in its current form and many within the industry are asking hard questions about sustainability in an environment that seems designed for larger players and new competitors.
This conference will explore the current opportunities for profitability and growth facing community banks in the near-term but also examine how traditional banking is being fundamentally reimagined through emerging technologies, changing customer expectations, and new competitive dynamics. Join industry leaders, innovators, and banking executives for an essential dialogue on the evolving landscape of financial services and how community bank executives can take action to ensure relevancy for the future.
Join S&P Global Market Intelligence for a unique opportunity to gain strategic insights, forge valuable partnerships, and position your organization for success in the next era of banking.
Advisory Board
James Beckwith
President & CEO, Five Star Bancorp, $3.8B, CA
James Beckwith is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Five Star Bank and its holding company, Five Star Bancorp (Nasdaq Listed: FSBC). With more than 20 years of experience, Mr. Beckwith joined Five Star Bank in 2003 after serving as Chief Financial officer and Chief Operating Officer at National Bank of the Redwoods in Santa Rosa, California.
Mr. Beckwith is deeply connected to the Sacramento community and has chaired several community-based organizations to include the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce, Valley Vision and KVIE (the local PBS affiliate).
Mr. Beckwith is currently the Chair of the Western Bankers Association, a Private Sector Director with Greater Sacramento Economic Council, a board member of Crocker Art Museum and a member of the Sacramento State University College of Business Advisory Council.
He graduated from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting. He is also a graduate of Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington where he was class president.
Recently, Mr. Beckwith was recognized by the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce as the Businessman of the Year in 2020, and he was named among the Most Admired CEO's of 2020 by the Sacramento Business Journal.
Mary Jayne Crocker
EVP & Chief Strategy Officer, Bridgewater Bank, $4.7B, MN
Mary Jayne Crocker serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Bridgewater Bank and is a member of the Bank's Strategic Leadership Team. In her current role, she is responsible for driving all strategic initiatives that ensure Bridgewater delivers on its promise to be the finest entrepreneurial bank in the Twin Cities in the eyes of clients, investors and team members. She oversees several bank functions, including human resources, facilities, marketing, project management and risk management.
As one of the Bank’s original team members, Mary Jayne has been with Bridgewater since its origin as a Twin Cities de novo in 2005 and has been instrumental in the Bank’s rapid growth to $3B in assets. Prior to her role as COO, she was the Bank's Senior Vice President of Communications, where she was responsible for building awareness of the Bridgewater Bank brand, establishing the branch network, introducing banking products, and helping develop a strong and positive culture. In her tenure, she has been actively involved in several successful capital raises, the acquisition of a local bank in 2016 and the IPO and Nasdaq debut of Bridgewater Bancshares, Inc. in 2018. Before joining Bridgewater Bank in 2005, Mary Jayne held positions with Commerce Bank in Edina, MN, and began her financial career in brokerage at the Montreal Stock Exchange. She has over 30 years of experience in financial services.
The Twin Cities business community has recognized Mary Jayne for her leadership in several capacities. She was recognized as one of the ‘Top Women in Finance’ by Finance & Commerce in 2020 and 2013 and was also inducted into the publication's esteemed Circle of Excellence. In 2017, she was selected as a Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s 'Women in Business' honoree. Active in the community, Mary Jayne is a member of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s Women's Leadership Council and serves on boards for Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota and the Bank Holding Company Association. Mary Jayne received her B.C. from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario and is an alumna of The Institute of Certified Bankers.
C.K. Lee
President & CEO, Interbank, $4.5B, OK
C.K. Lee is President and Chief Operating Officer of InterBank. In this role, he oversees all of the bank’s operations, including lending and credit, loan and deposit operations, and the bank’s branch network. He reports to Pascal Hosch, the Bank’s CEO. Mr. Lee joined the bank in the summer of 2020 and works out of the Bank’s Fort Worth location.
Prior to joining InterBank, Mr. Lee was an investment banker, assisting bank and financial services clients in Texas and the surrounding region. During his investment banking career, Mr. Lee handled dozens of merger and acquisition transactions on behalf of clients throughout the country, representing nearly $2 billion in aggregate deal value. He has assisted clients with Section 363 bankruptcy resolutions, strategic planning services, regulatory advisory work and expert witness assignments.
Mr. Lee began his career as a professional staff member on Capitol Hill and was a federal regulator for ten years at the FDIC and the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS). During his time on Capitol Hill, he was a senior advisor to members of both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. During his ten years as a regulator, he was a deputy to the Chairman of the FDIC, a member of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, oversaw the OTS’s international affairs, was a regulator of complex international holding companies, and was the Regional Director in Dallas, TX for two years during the 2008-2010 financial crisis.
Mr. Lee has guest lectured on mergers and acquisitions at the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at SMU, at the Stephen F. Austin University’s school of business, and has handled speaking engagements before many regional and national banking trade associations and regulatory bodies. He currently serves on the Board of the American Bonanza Society, a type club for pilots and owners of Beechcraft aircraft, where he serves as the treasurer. He also serves on the Board of the Air Safety Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing safety in private aviation.
Mr. Lee received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and his Master’s degree from the London School of Economics. He is married to Joy and they have two daughters, Sofia and Olivia. They live in Colleyville, TX. Mr. Lee is an avid private pilot.
Jamie Lipe
SEVP and CFO, First State Community Bank, $4B, MO
Trey Maust
Executive Chairman, Lewis & Clark Bank, $371M, OR
Trey Maust, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Lewis & Clark Bank, brings over twenty-five years of experience in banking, capital markets and industry advocacy. From 2016 to 2020, he was a founding board member and later CEO of Sheltered Harbor, a critical data protection and recovery initiative that now covers over 70% of the nation’s deposit accounts and retail brokerage client assets. Prior to this role, he was Lewis & Clark Bank’s Co-President & CEO and prior to that, its Chief Financial Officer. Previous to co-founding Lewis & Clark Bank, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of another Portland-area community bank.
Trey began his career at Deloitte in Portland, focusing on financial audit; FDICIA and internal control attestation; U.S. GAAP and SEC reporting; and post-merger integration engagements. He later transferred to Deloitte’s Merger & Acquisition Services Group in New York, where he was a resource nationally for bank acquisitions, conducting financial and operational due diligence on transactions in a variety of industries for financial sponsors and strategic buyers. He was also involved in domestic and international acquisitions and divestitures for Honeywell International.
Trey is extensively involved in local and national policy and advocacy efforts on behalf of the banking industry, including serving on multiple advisory and fiduciary boards of for-profit and nonprofit organizations.
SouthState Bank
Chris Nichols
Director of Capital Markets
Chris Nichols is a finance leader with 30 years of banking experience specializing in predictive analytics, marketing, pricing, technology and innovation, risk management and creating superior bank performance. Chris was the former Chief Strategy Officer for CenterState Bank and now Director of Capital Markets for SouthState Bank, a $38 billion, publicly traded community bank based in Florida. Chris sits on the Digital Steering and Enterprise Steering Committees of the Bank and helps manage the PPP effort, innovation and pricing. In addition to strategy, he is responsible for channel transformation and digital banking. He is an active bank investor, small business owner, school instructor, frequent speaker and author on a multitude of banking topics including his new book, “The Successful Lender’s Field Guide.”
Chris is the producer and host of the iTunes podcast, Bank to Bank. Mr. Nichols has held executive and operating positions at several banks, including Bank of America and Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi. Chris was a co-founder of FinancialOxygen, a banking technology company; and was a forensic accountant at PriceWaterhouseCoopers. He holds a degree in economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Chris is an active participant in the community as a sworn law enforcement officer, emergency medical technician, flight rescue officer and is certified in both search and disaster incident management.
Siya Vansia
Executive Vice President and Chief Brand and Innovation Officer, ConnectOne Bank, $9.6B, NJ
Why Attend?
Join us in May to gain important insights as you take steps to move your business to the next level.
Bankers as Speakers
Panels include bank executives providing practical views and insights on performance metrics and growth opportunities.
Access to the Investment Community
Hear from prominent thought leaders and investors in the financial services industry and talk with them one-on-one at the conference.
Top Community Bank Attendees
Banks from Market Intelligence's Top Community Bank rankings are in attendance, giving you an opportunity to gather ideas from other successful executives.
S&P Global Research Analysts
Engage with S&P Global Research analysts to share ideas and perspectives.
Efficient Use of Time
Well-attended, but not too big. The entire event offers a great exchange of information, is well organized and executed, and focuses specifically on community banks.
Agenda
*Agenda is subject to change.
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Tuesday, May 5, 2026
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Wednesday, May 6, 2026
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Thursday, May 7, 2026
Speakers
Dr. George Friedman
Geopolitical Futures
George Friedman is an internationally recognized geopolitical strategist on international affairs and the founder and chairman of Geopolitical Futures.
Dr. Friedman is also a New York Times bestselling author. His most recent book, THE STORM BEFORE THE CALM: America’s Discord, the Coming Crisis of the 2020s, and the Triumph Beyond, published February 25, 2020 describes how “the United States periodically reaches a point of crisis in which it appears to be at war with itself, yet after an extended period it reinvents itself, in a form both faithful to its founding and radically different from what it had been.” The decade 2020-2030 is such a period which will bring dramatic upheaval and reshaping of American government, foreign policy, economics, and culture.
His most popular book, The Next 100 Years, is kept alive by the prescience of its predictions. Other best-selling books include Flashpoints: The Emerging Crisis in Europe, The Next Decade, America’s Secret War, The Future of War and The Intelligence Edge. His books have been translated into more than 20 languages.
Dr. Friedman has briefed numerous military and government organizations in the United States and overseas and appears regularly as an expert on international affairs, foreign policy and intelligence in major media. For almost 20 years before resigning in May 2015, Dr. Friedman was CEO and then chairman of Stratfor, a company he founded in 1996. Friedman received his bachelor’s degree from the City College of the City University of New York and holds a doctorate in government from Cornell University.
Piper Sandler
Scott Hildenbrand
Chief Balance Sheet Strategist and Head of Depository Fixed Income
Scott Hildenbrand serves as chief balance sheet strategist and head of depository fixed income at Piper Sandler.
Previously, he was a principal and chief balance sheet strategist of Sandler O’Neill + Partners, L.P. He headed the balance sheet analysis and strategy group, working with financial institutions on balance sheet strategy development, which includes interest rate risk management, investment portfolio strategy, retail and wholesale funding management, capital planning, budgeting, and stress testing. Hildenbrand also worked closely with the firm’s investment banking group to identify and develop strategic opportunities for clients involved in mergers and acquisitions.
Hildenbrand previously worked in Sandler O’Neill’s interest rate products group, focusing on developing and implementing structured wholesale funding strategies for financial institutions. He spent his first four years at the firm in the asset/liability management group. Prior to joining Sandler O’Neill in 2004, Hildenbrand worked as a financial analyst in asset/liability management at Tower Federal Credit Union in Maryland.
Hildenbrand joined the Financial Managers Society Board of Directors in 2021. He also serves as treasurer on the board of directors for Liam’s Room, a non-profit organization that focuses on pediatric palliative care, a specialized approach to medical care for children with serious illnesses.
He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and seminars. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree in finance from Loyola College in Maryland and a bachelor’s degree with a concentration in accounting and finance from Gettysburg College.
Q2
Hugh "HD" Jacobs
Senior Sales Specialist - Third-Party Solutions
Hugh "HD" Jacobs, IV, is a Senior Sales Specialist - Third-Party Solutions at Q2.
Locality Bank
Corey LeBlanc
Co-Founder, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Technology Officer
Corey LeBlanc is the Co-Founder, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Technology Officer of Locality Bank. He leads the bank’s strategy, operations, and technology, with a focus on building scalable banking platforms and executing against long-term institutional priorities.
Before co-founding Locality Bank, Corey held senior leadership roles at Origin Bank, where he led enterprise technology and digital banking initiatives. He brings more than 20 years of experience across the banking industry, spanning operations, platform modernization, and executive leadership.
Earlier in his career, Corey served six years in the United States Air Force, including assignments at Bolling Air Force Base and the U.S. Air Force Academy. His work today centers on disciplined execution, responsible use of data and AI, and strengthening the competitive position of community banks.
S&P Global Market Intelligence
Jordan McKee
Head of FinTech Research
Jordan McKee is a Principal Research Analyst for Customer Experience & Commerce, leading the coverage of the payments ecosystem at 451 Research, a part of S&P Global Market Intelligence. He focuses on the digital transformation of the commerce value chain, with an emphasis on the major trends and technologies impacting payment networks, issuing and acquiring banks, payment processors and other payments industry stakeholders. His research helps vendors and enterprises assess and address the implications of the ongoing digitization of the shopping journey.
Jordan joined 451 Research with the company's acquisition of Yankee Group in 2013. Before joining 451 Research, he worked at OnProcess Technology, helping telecom and financial services businesses improve their customer experience and service supply chain strategies. Prior to this, he was a member of FM Global's internal market research unit, analyzing trends in the insurance sector.
Jordan is listed on the Electronic Transactions Association's Forty Under 40 list for 2018. He is frequently engaged by the media to share his insights on digital payments and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Forbes, TIME, Businessweek and The Financial Times. McKee is a regular speaker at client and industry events, delivering keynotes and moderating panels at SXSW, Money20/20 and ETA TRANSACT. Additionally, Jordan is a Forbes fintech contributor and sits on the board of advisors for the Mobile Payments Conference.
Jordan holds a bachelor's degree with a concentration in marketing from Bryant University.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Holly Easter Kelley
Assistant Special Agent in Charge
Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) Holly Easter Kelley has over 21 years of experience at the FBI. In 2004, she began her career in the San Antonio Division, Austin Resident Agency (RA) where she investigated an array of White-Collar Crime matters. In April 2014, she was selected as a supervisor in the Financial Institution Fraud Unit (FIFU) in Washington, DC. While in DC, she was responsible for the FBI’s asset forfeiture, bankruptcy fraud, financial institution fraud, identity theft, money laundering, and mortgage fraud programs for the South-Central Region and was the primary manager of the FBI’s Identity Theft Program. In 2016, she was selected to lead the White-Collar Crime Squad in Austin and asked to be the San Antonio Field Office Program Coordinator for all Complex Financial Crimes Programs. In 2021, she was selected as the first supervisor in the Waco RA, overseeing all criminal threats. In 2023, she was selected to serve as the ASAC of the Dallas Division and currently leads the Cyber and Counterintelligence programs.
ASAC Kelley has a Bachelor's of Science in Accounting Control Systems from the University of North Texas and holds an active Texas CPA license. Prior to joining the FBI, ASAC Kelley practiced public accounting, with a focus on corporate taxes, at a public accounting firm in Dallas, Texas.
SouthState Bank
Chris Nichols
Director of Capital Markets
Chris Nichols is a finance leader with 30 years of banking experience specializing in predictive analytics, marketing, pricing, technology and innovation, risk management and creating superior bank performance. Chris was the former Chief Strategy Officer for CenterState Bank and now Director of Capital Markets for SouthState Bank, a $38 billion, publicly traded community bank based in Florida. Chris sits on the Digital Steering and Enterprise Steering Committees of the Bank and helps manage the PPP effort, innovation and pricing. In addition to strategy, he is responsible for channel transformation and digital banking. He is an active bank investor, small business owner, school instructor, frequent speaker and author on a multitude of banking topics including his new book, “The Successful Lender’s Field Guide.”
Chris is the producer and host of the iTunes podcast, Bank to Bank. Mr. Nichols has held executive and operating positions at several banks, including Bank of America and Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi. Chris was a co-founder of FinancialOxygen, a banking technology company; and was a forensic accountant at PriceWaterhouseCoopers. He holds a degree in economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Chris is an active participant in the community as a sworn law enforcement officer, emergency medical technician, flight rescue officer and is certified in both search and disaster incident management.
Darling Consulting Group
Matthew Pieniazek
President & CEO
Matt Pieniazek is the President & CEO of Darling Consulting Group. He oversees all aspects of the firm's strategy and directs the DCG team in working with over 650 banks and credit unions nationwide, ranging from de novo to $100B+.
As one of the firm's founders, Matt has led DCG for over 40 years in its mission to help clients transform the asset/liability process into a sustainable profit center. He specializes in partnering with institutions to enhance earnings and mitigate risk through comprehensive, tailored strategies for the entire balance sheet. He is a big believer in the value of data-driven insight and is convinced that simplifying the complex and changing the conversation matter most.
Matt is a frequent speaker and author on balance sheet and risk management topics and overall bank strategy.
Prior to DCG's inception, Matt was an audit manager and consultant at KPMG. He holds an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago and a B.B.A. in accounting from the University of Notre Dame.
Stonecastle Partners
Josh Siegel
Managing Partner, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Joshua S. Siegel founded StoneCastle Partners, LLC in 2003 and currently serves as Managing Partner, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer. He is recognized as a leading expert, innovator, and investor in the banking industry. StoneCastle's products are utilized by over 1,000 banks and millions of customers nationwide. With a focus on addressing the unmet needs of community banks, StoneCastle and its subsidiaries have facilitated the placement of more than $170 billion of deposits and capital in banks across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Guam.
Joshua Siegel is regularly invited to educate government regulators, including the FDIC, Federal Reserve, U.S. Treasury, CSBS, and members of the House Financial Services Committee, on various topics related to the banking industry, bank regulations, derivatives, structured finance, and financial technology companies and products.
Before founding StoneCastle Partners, LLC, Joshua held positions at Salomon Brothers/Citigroup, Sumitomo Bank, Charterhouse, and Sulzer Brothers. He earned his BS in Management and Accounting from the A.B. Freeman School at Tulane University and served as an Adjunct Professor at the Columbia Business School in New York.
S&P Global Market Intelligence
Nathan Stovall
Director, Financial Institutions Research
Nathan Stovall, with 17 years' experience covering the banking sector, is a principal analyst for the FIG Research offering of S&P Global Market Intelligence. His primary responsibilities include covering and analyzing financial institutions, with a focus on the banking industry.
He is the author of the banking blog, Street Talk, and host of the podcast by the same name. His in-depth analysis of the banking industry, including a focus on community banks, can be found on SPGMI's Research & Analysis feature, which includes historical and forward-looking performance figures.
During his tenure, he has regularly covered and participated on the conference circuit, moderating panels and webinars focused on major issues facing banks. He has spoken as industry events as well, offering updates on bank fundamentals, market conditions and forecasts for what lies ahead. He has been quoted in a number of trade publications and the national press, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Financial Times and has appeared on Fox Business News and NPR's Planet Money.
Nathan holds a Bachelor of Arts degrees from Washington & Lee University, where he majored in business journalism
Stephens
Scott Studwell
Managing Director, Head of U.S. Depositories and Co-Head of Equity Capital Markets
Scott Studwell is Managing Director, Head of U.S. Depositories and Co-Head of Equity Capital Markets at Stephens. Mr. Studwell joined Stephens in April of 2015 as the Head of the Financial Institutions Group (FIG) Equity Capital Markets division, which oversees both public and private capital raises for Stephens’ clients. Mr. Studwell was previously a Senior Managing Director and Head of Equity Capital Markets Origination and Execution at Sterne Agee, Head of the US Equity Capital Markets business at Keefe, Bruyette and Woods, and a Vice President at Bear Stearns & Co in the Equity Transactions Group. Mr. Studwell, since 2004, led the execution efforts on over 100 bookrun transactions for Financial Institutions, including, IPOs, follow-ons, bought deals, accelerated bookbuilds, confidentially marketed offerings and private placement transactions. Mr. Studwell earned a B.S. in Business Administration, Salve Regina University.
S&P Global Market Intelligence
Zain Tariq
Senior Analyst, FIG Research
Zain Tariq manages a team of research analysts at S&P Global Market Intelligence and produces data-driven research. The team is primarily responsible for providing data insights on the U.S. financial and real estate industries. He has covered the banking space for over eight years including regulatory changes, financial trends, branch footprints, and M&A. Prior to joining S&P, Zain collected experience as a finance officer and accountant for multiple organizations.
Zain completed his ACCA in 2018. In addition to the ACCA, he completed BSc (Hons) in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brookes University in 2011 and MSc in Finance from BPP Business School in 2013.
Pricing
Registration Fees:
COMMUNITY BANKER RATE:
STANDARD RATE:
GUEST REGISTRATION:
Current clients include any firm that currently subscribes to products/services offered by S&P Global Market Intelligence, excluding other conferences and training classes. The standard rate applies to attendees who are not bank officers or bank directors of an FDIC-insured financial institution, such as board advisors/observers, investment bankers, correspondent and wholesale bankers (even if part of an FDIC-Insured Financial Institution), attorneys, accounting firms, and other vendors and service providers. S&P Global reserves the right to verify your company profile and adjust your registration rate, if necessary.
Guest registration includes access to the Community Bankers Conference cocktail receptions and dinner only. A guest is a spouse, significant other or friend who is not in a financial services occupation. A co-worker (even a family member co-worker) or an associate within the financial services industry is not considered a guest and should register as an attendee.
Venue
The Crescent Hotel, Fort Worth, TX
3300 Camp Bowie Blvd
Fort Worth, TX 76107
The group rate at the Crescent Hotel Fort Worth is $279 per night plus taxes. The hotel booking deadline is April 3, 2026.
Sponsor
Platinum
Gold
Become a Sponsor
Demonstrate your strengths, raise your company profile, and maximize your ROI as we bring key industry players and decision-makers to you. At the S&P Community Bankers Conference, each sponsor has the opportunity to showcase their products and services and distinguish themselves from the competition. We offer a full range of opportunities and packages and can even tailor solutions to suit your needs.
Contact us to start a conversation about your goals and how you can lead the pack as an event sponsor: Catherine Smith catherine.smith@spglobal.com