Charles Potts, Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer, ICBA About Charles E. Potts Charles E. Potts is executive vice president and chief innovation officer for the Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA). In this role Potts drives ICBA’s innovation initiatives, and financial technology strategies, working with ICBA leadership to develop impactful, value-added solutions that […]

AN UPDATE FROM ICBA, JACK HOPKINS, CHAIRMAN, ICBA About Jack: Jack E. Hopkins is chairman of the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA), the only national organization that exclusively represents community banks. He also serves as president and CEO of CorTrust Bank in Sioux Falls, S.D. Hopkins holds many leadership roles at ICBA. He is […]

Jody Gillaspie, Director, Division of Consumer Protection, SD Attorney General’s Office About Jody: Jody Gillaspie began her duties as Director for the Office of Attorney General, Division of Consumer Protection in 2012.  Prior to that she was an Investigator with the Division and has been with the Attorney General’s office for over 20 years.    The […]

Mike Dummer, Deputy Director – Banking, SD Division of Banking About Mike Mike was raised on a farm near Lesterville, SD and graduated from Scotland (SD) high school. He attended college at South Dakota State University, graduating in 2003 with a BS in Mass Communications. After working for a large national bank, he started as […]

Lynn Paulson, Senior Vice President, Bell Bank About Lynn: Lynn Paulson is senior vice president and director of agribusiness development for Bell Bank. He often speaks to financial, commodity and other farm groups on agricultural lending and finance, the global economy and the ag economy. He has audiences fully engaged as he discusses timely issues […]

“Growing up on a farm in the 1980s, money and the lack of money were talked about a lot. So every expense was scrutinized, and every opportunity to make some extra money with livestock or crops or different things we were doing was definitely important.” A farm kid from Baltic, Darren Hefty has long been […]

For Jack Hopkins, CEO of CorTrust Bank in Sioux Falls and Chairman of the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA), community banking isn’t just a career—it’s a legacy. As a third-generation South Dakota banker, Hopkins has lived and breathed the values of independent banking his entire life. Now, as ICBA Chairman, he is channeling that […]

— Megan Olson, President  & CEO, ICBSD Advocacy is one of the most powerful tools we have to ensure the continued success of community banks, and recent efforts in Washington, D.C., proved just how impactful our collective voice can be. I want to highlight the incredible work of ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey […]

— Jodi Eich, Chairwoman of ICBSD, Vice Chair and Chief Operating Officer, Rivers Edge Bank One thing that is top of mind is how beneficial the art of collaboration is to banking.  Whether it is working together within our industry, our individual banks or our communities, collaboration brings together diverse perspectives and can lead to […]

— Rebeca Romero Rainey, President & CEO, ICBA Sometimes in life, we’re fortunate enough to see our labor yield results, and that’s precisely what’s been happening with our advocacy efforts. The first quarter of 2025 has boasted great successes for community banking, including: We saw congressional efforts to overturn the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s 1071 […]