Colorado Bankers Association board elects new officers

DENVER — New officers have been elected to lead the Colorado Bankers Association for the coming year.

At its annual membership meeting on May 24, the CBA board unanimously elected Kevin Ericson, market president for Independent Financial, as chairman, with Brett Wyss, president and CEO of Integrity Bank and Trust. as chairman-elect and Jennifer Luce, executive vice president at FirstBank, as treasurer.

“I am honored to serve as chairman of the Colorado Bankers Association board,” Erickson said in a prepared statement. “Areas I will focus on as board chair include ensuring a solid financial position through increased membership and strategic third-party partnerships; building and maintaining strong relationships with elected officials in Colorado and Washington, D.C.; coaching and encouraging the next generation of bank leaders; and endorsing timely, relevant educational opportunities for bankers at any stage of their career. Through these initiatives, we can amplify our collective voice in support of the banking industry and the communities we serve.”

Ericson, a banker in the Boulder/Denver area since 2001, earned a degree in finance from the University of North Dakota and a master’s in business administration from the University of Colorado Denver. He has held various board positions with local nonprofits and sits on the board of Graduate School of Banking at Colorado as a trustee. A native of North Dakota, he and his wife, Erica, relocated to Colorado in 2001.

Wyss began his career as a credit analyst at Integrity Bank & Trust in 2004, then served as a commercial lender until being promoted to his current role in May 2017. A graduate of the Graduate School of Banking in Boulder and its Executive Development Institute, he has been involved with the CBA since participating in the Center for Bank Advocacy in 2017.

Luce has worked with FirstBank for 24 years, accepting a position just after earning a graduate banking degree from Pacific Coast Banking School in Seattle. She  has worked in numerous FirstBank markets and leads a team of 15 lending officers and nearly 100 retail staff. As founder, former chair and an active member of FirstBank’s Advocacy Committee, she periodically testifies before the state Legislature on behalf of FirstBank and the larger banking community.

“Serving on the CBA board affords bankers the opportunity to amplify the voices of their customers and communities at the state and federal levels,” Jenifer Waller, the CBA’s president and CEO, said in a news release. “In the current economic environment of fluctuating interest rates and inflation, the banking industry needs strong, active engagement now more than ever.”

The CBA represents more than 95% of the $225 billion of banking assets in Colorado through advocacy before governmental bodies and the public, and seeks to increase benefits for bank customers, improve value for shareholders and grow a stronger business climate for banks and local economies.

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