Washington, D.C. – The Jeffrey and Diana Owen Scholarship for Emerging Community Bank Leaders (“Owen Foundation”) has selected Joseph Collum, Executive Vice President and Director of Branch and Business Banking at Burke & Herbert Bank in Alexandria, Va., to receive its inaugural scholarship. The scholarship covers tuition for an emerging leader at a community bank to attend the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking, which was held this year from June 6-13 at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in Philadelphia.
Collum was selected by a committee of the Owen Foundation consisting of bankers and regulators who previously served on the Stonier Graduate School Advisory Board and have significant experience in banking. To determine the winner, the committee reviewed each applicant’s written application, including a 600-word essay on what it means to be a community banker as well as a description of the applicant’s commitment to lifelong learning.
“Joe’s dedication to serving his customers and community, along with his extensive experience and commitment to lifelong learning, makes him an ideal recipient of this inaugural scholarship,” said Norman Beatty, Owen Foundation Scholarship Committee chairman and past chairman, president and CEO of First Hope Bank in Hope, N.J. “Joe has earned the respect and praise of his colleagues, and we know he will make the most of his experience at Stonier in June.”
The scholarship was initiated by Jeffrey and Diana Owen to recognize emerging leaders in the community banking space, an area of great importance to Mr. Owen throughout his 45 years of service to the ABA and the industry. To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must be community bankers with at least five years of experience in financial services and have working knowledge of at least three of the following areas: financial statement analysis, bank operations, credit administration, accounting, and economics.
“It is imperative for the banking community to invest in the development of our top talent,” said Rob Nichols, ABA president and CEO. “We are grateful to Jeff and Diana Owen for their generosity in initiating this fund, and for their interest in providing the opportunity for a deserving community banker like Joe to benefit from the world-class Stonier educational experience.”
Offered in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking trains the future leaders of the industry. Thirty percent of last year’s 724 attendees held the title of president, CEO, CFO, COO, CRO, executive vice president or senior vice president. Forty-eight percent of bankers who attended Stonier in 2018 were from institutions with assets of at least $1 billion, while 26 percent were from community banks with assets under $1 billion. In addition, 128 attendees in 2018 represented federal regulatory agencies. All participants are considered rising stars in their organizations and represent more than 48 states and eight international countries. For more than 80 years, Stonier has trained more than 26,000 of the nation’s top banking executives and government regulators, many of whom have reached the pinnacle of their organizations.
Graduates of the 2019 program receive a Stonier diploma as well as a Wharton leadership certificate. For more information on the program, visit opens in a new windowabastonier.com.
The American Bankers Association is the voice of the nation’s $17.9 trillion banking industry, which is composed of small, regional and large banks that together employ more than 2 million people, safeguard nearly $14 trillion in deposits and extend more than $10 trillion in loans.
Burke & Herbert Bank, established in 1852, is the oldest bank in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the oldest continuously operating bank in the Washington, D.C. area. The Bank offers a full range of personal and business banking products and services designed to meet customers’ banking, borrowing, and investing needs. Burke & Herbert Bank is headquartered in Alexandria and operates 25 branches in Northern Virginia.
Member FDIC.
Pictured above: Executive Vice President and Director of Branch & Business Banking, Joe Collum.
This article originally appeared on the ABA’s website, and is re-published here with permission.
