Leader Lunches
We had two incredible Leader Lunches over the last couple weeks! Our first was with Anne Balcer, Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Government Relations & Public Policy. She spoke about her path into ICBA and how her passions helped to inspire her work and drive her career as she worked for state and local organizations that support her communities.
We also got the opportunity to speak with Valerie Utsey, Executive Vice President, Chief People Officer, and Ryan Hadley, Vice President, Data Analytics & Research. Similar to our meeting with Rob Birgfeld and Peter Nelson, we got two hear two different pathways to ICBA. Ryan has been with ICBA for over 18 years, serving a number of roles in communications, policy, and analytics while Valerie has been honing her craft in HR since college, and applying her focus to different organizations of varying subject matter. Both emphasized the importance of always being open to new opportunities, and taking each as a chance to learn more. We also got to start brainstorming our intern class video!
Staying Secure
The interns participated in a cybersecurity workshop with Aisan Akesst, Manager of Information Security, at ICBA. We participated in a mini lesson and quiz regarding data breaches and best privacy practices in the workplace. We even tried out a website that allowed us to see how many times our email has been involved in a data breach. Curious to see for yourself? Check it out at: https://haveibeenpwned.com
Cybersecurity at its Best
This exercise was led by our Government Relations Intern, Alexa, who hosted an in-person testing of a cyber security game with other ICBA staff. ICBA is developing a cybersecurity game for our member banks in partnership with Payments Innovation Alliance.
This will become a tool that banks can utilize with their staff and at conventions to help expose them to common online scams that attempt to defraud those that may work at the bank. We pretended to be hackers, analyzed emails, and tried to identify the scam messages presented. It was a great bonding experience with our staff, great job Alexa!
For each internship diary, our interns are asked one question:
What is your favorite snack or drink to get you through a day at the office?
Alexa: An iced matcha with almond milk.
Vansh: I’m not a big coffee person, so my go-to for surviving long days at the office is Thai milk tea paired with something sweet usually M&M’s or a Hershey’s bar. There’s just something about that combo of sugar and caffeine that gives me the boost I need to stay focused when the afternoon slump hits. It might not be the healthiest habit, but it works. A little sugar rush goes a long way when you’re juggling tasks and trying to stay sharp.
Maia: I need a Poppi to get me through a long day of work, specifically the Strawberry Lemon flavor!
Lydia: My go snack to survive a long day at the office is a Chomps beef stick and Diet Coke!
Mia: I need a Poppi to get me through a long day of work, specifically the Strawberry Lemon flavor!
Hope you enjoyed our updates, until next time!