2026 Wisconsin Bankers Association Bank Executives Conference – A Success

By Heather MacKinnon, WBA vice president of legal and communications

Nearly 300 bankers, representing 91 banks, gathered the first week of February in Wisconsin Dells for the 2026 WBA Bank Executives Conference coming together for two days of networking and education. Attendees connected with colleagues from across the state, heard insights from national keynote speakers, and customized their experience through a variety of breakout sessions all meant to help banks remain relevant in a rapidly evolving industry.
The conference began with the opportunity for bankers to choose between attending CEO, CFO, COO, human resources/organizational development, lending/credit, or marketing/business development banker-only peer group discussions before attending a welcome reception sponsored by FHLBank Chicago.

Paul Northway, WBA board chair and president and CEO of American National Bank Fox Cities opened the full-day of events with a welcome and invitation to consider the relevancy of the banking industry, Wisconsin’s banks, and of bank leadership. Relevance was the theme of this year’s annual conference and is the theme Northway chose to guide his year as WBA board chair. Northway also asked the audience to think about four things as leaders — be curious, have change-ready leadership, be purpose-driven, and talent-multiplying.

Bestselling author Chris Dyer took the audience on a fast-moving tour of the Future of Work, beginning with why today’s pace of change may feel like an avalanche. Dyer also shared three proven pillars which help teams and leaders thrive in times of rapid transformation. Attendees walked away with practical, actionable tools — like meeting hacks that free up time, smarter ways to manage email, and boundary-setting strategies that prevent burnout — while also strengthening relationships and fostering a culture of belonging.

Sean Payant, President of Haberfeld, provided attendees perspective and information to consider about the future of banking. Payant provided recommendations for navigating economic, regulatory, and technological change and uncertainty; provided strategies for aligning organizational structure and cultural initiatives with strategic priorities; and offered ideas of a holistic approach to building resilient, future-ready institutions.

Bankers also heard insights from a digital assets panel and two fireside chats. The digital assets panel included Brooke Ybarra, ABA SVP innovation and strategy, IncredibleBank’s Phillip Suckow, SVP strategy and innovation, and Steve Wager, Head of Digital Asset Product and Operations at Fiserv. One fireside chat featured ABA Chair Kenneth Kelly and EVP, Congressional Relations and Legislative Affairs Kirsten Sutton, while the other included WBA’s President and CEO Rose Oswald Poels alongside WBA Board Chair Northway.

In addition to the active exhibit hall hosting 75 exhibitors and various networking opportunities, the conference offered eight different breakout sessions on a full range of topics including economics, payment processing, asset liability management, artificial intelligence, branding, and mentoring. The conference also honored several distinguished bankers with prestigious awards. Corey Chambas of First Business Bank in Madison was recognized as WBA’s 2025 Banker of the Year and Wolf River Community Bank, Hortonville received the Wisconsin Bankers Foundation’s prestigious Financial Education Innovation Award. Additionally, eight bankers were inducted into the 50-Year Club and two into the 60-Year Club; 58 banks achieved WBA’s Gold Triangle and/or Bankers Involved with Grassroots and Government (BIGG) award, 25 bankers received Leadership Circle designation, and 99 bankers were listed as achieving WBA’s Silver Triangle.

The 2026 annual conference closed with Dr. Damon Freidman, author of Igniting Movements, who shared his story with the message to empower leaders to be world changers focusing on leadership, ideological factors, organizational construct, and strategic output. Many banks again sent full executive teams, enabling attendees to divide and conquer breakout sessions and return with broader insights into trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the evolving banking industry. The conference was another successful event allowing bankers and exhibitors the opportunity to connect, share insights, and find opportunities to work together to remain a relevant solution for the financial services needs of their communities.