Get Ready for ICBA LIVE 2024

“Here for Good.” That’s not only a mantra that encompasses the spirit of the community banker’s mission; it’s also the theme of this year’s ICBA LIVE. ICBA members are here to help their neighbors, lift up their communities and change the world for the better. And they’re here to stay.

What better way to celebrate that than gathering to advance that philosophy? Read on for a look at the events and opportunities available only at ICBA LIVE 2024, March 14–17 in Orlando.

Keynote speaker

Jade Simmons
Breakdowns and breakthroughs

Classical pianist Jade Simmons believes in the power of pushing through and finding purpose.

In the world of classical music, Jade Simmons was a late bloomer. While the average concert pianist starts playing between the ages of three and six, she began just shy of her ninth birthday. “I always joke with audiences that I was over the hill, in classical,” she laughs. “But once I started, you couldn’t stop me. I loved it.”

Over the years, Simmons has gained a reputation for her maverick style, fusing classical works with more improvisational jazz and hip-hop. Her career has taken her to illustrious stages, from the White House to a Broadway-style production to SXSW. In addition, she hosts American Public Media’s podcast Decomposed and authored Purpose the Remix and the faith-based book Audacious Prayers for World Changers.

It’s been an unconventional career, fueled in large part by an unexpected turn in 2009 when, out of nowhere, she was hit with stage fright. “I’d never had that as a kid,” Simmons recalls. “I started having what we call in the music world ‘memory slips,’ where suddenly I would not know where I was in the music or skip a note or two. And that really freaked me out.”

To compose her thoughts, Simmons would take breathers—and in those moments, she started talking to the audience, sharing anecdotes and other nuggets about “these long dead guys whose music we were playing!” In a world where pianists seldom speak, she stood out, and her speaking career took off.

On stage these days, Simmons creates what she calls “keynote concert adventures,” using her music to illustrate important life lessons. She speaks to audiences about the relationship between “breakdown” and “breakthrough,” which she describes as two sides of the same coin.

“I like to teach people that we can immediately begin to flip the script and understand what’s happening for us versus what’s happening to us,” she explains. “So that moment of stage fright was horrible as an emerging artist, but looking back, I understand it was the most powerful detour I could ever have. Because it caused me to look my audience in the face and begin to create a relationship with them.”

Today, she invites her audiences to pay attention to similar moments in their lives, when events conspire to send them down the right path, not the expected path. “Pay attention to the things that pop up reminding you of what you’ve always wanted,” she says. “Don’t dismiss the little signs and confirmations that let you know you’re headed down the right path.” —Roshan McArthur

See Jade Simmons speak about purpose and breakthrough on March 16.

Keynote speaker

Dan Rooney
Go before you’re ready

Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, author, F-16 fighter pilot, golf professional, charity founder and CEO, advocates for flying into the wind.

As an F-16 fighter pilot, Lt. Col. Dan Rooney has seen the devastation war can have on military members and their families. On the return from his second tour in Iraq, Rooney’s flight carried home the remains of a fellow soldier to his loved ones.

“I witnessed a family in their darkest hour as a fallen American hero was brought home,” he says. “In that moment, I felt called to do something.”

Rooney and his wife founded Folds of Honor, a charity that provides scholarships to the spouses and children of fallen or disabled military members and first responders. Since its creation in 2007, Folds of Honor has awarded more than 52,000 scholarships, 45% of which have gone to minority recipients.

Rooney often speaks about the Air Force term CAVU, which stands for Ceiling and Visibility Unlimited. Referring to the perfect conditions while flying as a fighter pilot, it’s a reminder to appreciate the good, because you don’t know how things will look tomorrow.

It’s something that he brings into his own life. “I believe that every day is an unlimited gift and an opportunity for us to live our lives in an unlimited manner,” he explains.

It’s a motto he lives professionally, too. In addition to his other professional accomplishments, Rooney is a PGA golf professional, a motivational speaker and author of the best-selling book Fly Into the Wind.

Through his variety of life experiences, Rooney hopes to pass on a few lessons to those around him. “I have been very blessed to have people and experiences throughout my life that have helped me develop this code of living,” he says. “My hope is that after our time together, everyone will leave with at least one thing that changes them in a positive way for the rest of their life.

“One important lesson I’ve learned is to ‘go before you’re ready,’” he adds. “I’ve found that the place your greatest discomfort lies is often where defining moments live.” —Tiffany Lukk

See Lt. Col. Dan Rooney speak on March 15.