Members of the Independent Bankers Association of Texas finally get a chance to gather in Fort Worth for its 48th Annual IBAT Convention, September 24–27 at the Omni Fort Worth. Texas’ premier organization of community bankers was scheduled to convene in Fort Worth in 2020, but the pandemic put the skids on that and the organization opted instead to make that convention virtual. Two years later, IBAT members will gather in Cowtown for education, networking, celebrations and in-person fist bumps.

The four-day event will offer in-depth looks at key issues impacting the banking industry, specifically those related to community banks. General sessions featuring renowned national speakers, learning labs, regulator roundtables and banker/peer resource sharing sessions are offered on the education front. Networking opportunities and entertainment options—including the Chairman’s Opening Party, PAC Auction/Dinner and Songwriters’ Showcase—will round out the convention schedule.

Featured speakers at the event will include Kris Paronto, military consultant and founder of the 14th Hour Foundation; Lorie Logan, the newly appointed president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas; Brad Bolton, chairman of the Independent Community Bankers of America; and Jenny Radcliffe, speaker, consultant, trainer and renowned “people hacker.”

IBAT’s always-popular Songwriters’ Showcase will feature three hit-making tunesmiths from Nashville known collectively as Clawson, Clawson and Galyon. Billboard recently touted the group with the headline “Small Family Makes Big Impact on Country Charts.”

Convention Speakers

Kris Paronto, or “Tanto,” is a former U.S. Army ranger from the 2nd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment and private security contractor. Paronto was part of the CIA annex security team that responded to the terrorist attack on the U.S. Special Mission in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11, 2012, helping to save more than 20 lives while fighting off terrorists for 13-plus hours. His story is told in the book 13 Hours and in the major motion picture of the same name. Bringing valor, compassion and authenticity to the stage, Paronto shares the unforgettable story of the Battle of Benghazi and those who risked their lives for the greater good of the world, along with key takeaways on leadership and teamwork that can be applied in any environment. Today, he is a military consultant and founder of the 14th Hour Foundation.

Lorie Logan represents the 11th Federal Reserve District on the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) in the formulation of U.S. monetary policy and will lead the 1,200 employees of the Dallas Fed. She currently serves as manager of the system open market account for the FOMC, where she oversees the system’s $9 trillion securities portfolio and leads the implementation of monetary policy as directed by the FOMC. Logan also serves as executive vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, overseeing policy implementation, provision of fiscal agent services to the U.S. Treasury in support of debt issuance and foreign exchange operations, analysis of global financial market developments and production of the New York Fed’s reference rates.

Brad M. Bolton is chairman of the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA), the only national organization that exclusively represents community banks. He serves in many leadership roles at ICBA: chairman of the ICBA executive committee and the board of directors; member of ICBA’s federal delegate board and its policy development and nominating committees, as well as ICBA’s ThinkTECH selection committee; and serves as the executive committee liaison to the bank services committee. A second-generation community banker, Bolton is also active at the local level, serving on the legislative committee of the Mississippi Bankers Association. He is an elected member of the Red Bay, Alabama City Council and is an appointed member of the Franklin County Community Development Commission.

Jenny Radcliffe is a force to be reckoned with. She is a world-renowned social engineer, hired to bypass security systems through a no-tech mixture of psychology, con-artistry, cunning and guile. She can diffuse a crisis situation, talk her way into a secure building and spot a psychopath at a hundred paces. She has been called a mind reader and a “human lie detector,” and likened to a Jedi knight. In reality, she is an expert in social engineering (the human element of security), negotiation, persuasion and influence, and non-verbal communication and deception—using her skills to help clients ranging from global corporations and law enforcement organizations to poker players, politicians and the security industry. Radcliffe speaks, consults and trains people in the skills of “people hacking.”

Songwriters’ Showcase

Rodney Clawson has written hit singles for a number of performers, including Jason Aldean, Faith Hill, Florida Georgia Line, Kenny Chesney, George Strait and Tim McGraw. In 2007, Clawson received Song of the Year nominations from the Country Music Association for Lost in This Moment and Amarillo Sky. In 2008, George Strait released his Troubadour album, which featured Clawson’s song I Saw God Today. In 2021, Clawson wrote three more number one songs: Blake Shelton’s Drink On It, Luke Bryan’s Drunk On You and Jason Aldean’s Take a Little Ride.” At the 2013 ASCAP Awards, Drunk On You was named Country Song of the Year. In 2015, Clawson was named NSAI Songwriter of the Year and BMI Songwriter of the Year. He also received a double CMA Triple Play Award. Clawson is being inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2023.

Brad Clawson was born and raised in West Texas and grew up playing drums in the school marching band and several punk rock bands. In 2005, he moved to Tennessee and attended Middle Tennessee State University. During his education, he learned to play the guitar and formed several bands with his roommates. While attending graduate school several years later, he turned his focus toward songwriting and never looked back. He has seen great success from singles such as Happy Does by Kenny Chesney and the No. 1 single Up Down by Morgan Wallen featuring Florida Georgia Line.

Nicolle Galyon was born in Winner, South Dakota, raised in Sterling, Kansas, and is now based in Nashville. She has written nine No. 1 singles, including Miranda Lambert’s ACM award-winning Automatic and Dan + Shay’s multi-platinum  ACM award-winning Tequila. She has also received Grammy and CMA Award nominations, earned a Triple Play Award and was honored by BMI as its 2019 Songwriter of the Year.

Click here for all the details on IBAT’s 48th Annual Convention.

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