Meet your ICBA Bancard Support Team

Our mission at ICBA Bancard is to deliver flexible, innovative payments and digital commerce solutions that allow community banks to flourish. ICBA Bancard’s client relations and relationship management teams are here to assist and are just an email or phone call away.

Our client relations team supports questions regarding your program licensing, service, and product support as well as matters requiring elevated assistance between you and your processor. Relationship managers, meanwhile, help review your portfolio and provide related guidance to help increase profitability, and can confer with you on industry trends, product innovations and marketing options. Together they account for several decades of banking and payment related experience or an average of 21 years per person.

If we don’t know the answer, we’re happy to help connect you with the appropriate resources. We are staffed Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (Eastern time) and can be reached at 800-242-4770 or by email at Bancard@icba.org. Our relationship managers are looking forward to getting back on the road for face-to-face interactions in the near future, but until then, our entire team will continue to reach out and connect with you virtually. To help you get better acquainted with our team members, and their respective areas of responsibility we’ve compiled the following list for your reference:

• Julie Hanson, executive vice president of product and relationship management

Julie has worked in the payments industry her entire career and oversees the client and relationship management teams. Julie’s experience includes issuing, acquiring, treasury management, sales and product development. “I love engaging with our team, our banks, and our vendors and identifying ways to optimize payment solutions for community banks while creating lasting relationships.”

• Joe Buse, senior vice president, relationship manager

Another career payments veteran, Joe enjoys visiting our banks and identifying companion products and solutions to best serve their customers’ needs. When asked about the value of a personal consultation, Desiree Simmons of First Guaranty Bank in Hammond, La., described it as “eye-opening, easy to understand and informative.” “Joe, our consultant, helped us to understand our data and create actionable items where necessary; he’s patient, answers every question with care, [and has made the Bancard partnership] truly valuable!”

• Heather Sullivan, vice president, relationship manager

Heather is a highly dedicated and respected payments professional who works with our client banks to help them fully understand their operations and portfolio profitability. “I enjoy helping our community bank clients assess their payments solutions and identify areas for growth in line with their strategic payment goals.”

• Laura Pierce, vice president, relationship manager

Laura recently joined ICBA Bancard after nearly a decade at TCM Bank, N. A., where she worked in several management capacities, most recently helping to transition portfolio sales for converting banks. She brings years of operational and client service experience to our team and embraces community banking. “I come from a small town with a community bank and I understand how important it is for banks to have someone on their side not only looking out for them but also helping them thrive.“

• Miriam Funn, vice president, manager client relations

In During her 15-year tenure at Bancard Miriam’s has gained a level of knowledge and experience that provides valuable insight into community bank payment needs. Miriam is the skillful account manager of our client relations team and has gotten to know many of our bankers over the years. She is a powerful client advocate with our processor partners and the networks. Miriam’s mission is to ensure client banks are aware of the team and the resources Bancard has cultivated to support the success of their bank and card programs.

• Angie Rouzard, client relations representative

Before coming to Bancard, Angie worked for years as a community bank employee, gaining knowledge of the payments landscape from the front lines. Angie uses her personal experience to help our banks navigate important contract and operational updates from the processor, and connect bankers with the resources needed to help their cardholders. She understands how it feels to be on the side of the banker and ensures that clients receive well-informed assistance with a personal touch. Angie has begun outreach to offer “welcome training” for new and existing clients, which provides an overview of all the services Bancard provides along with some great tips for managing your card program.

• Wanda Ellison, client relations representative

Wanda is a valued member of the client relations team, leveraging her years of service to community banks at our parent company, the Independent Community Bankers of America. Although she does not have a payments background, Wanda quickly learned the ropes and assists clients with a wide variety of inquiries. Wanda has supported the team with outreach to hundreds of banks, helping to conduct client check-ins, assist with action-required and time-sensitive operational needs, and encourage opt-in for Bancard-sponsored promotions, including contactless card issuance.