School of Banking

The Foundation on Which Successful Banking Careers Are Built

Ideal for bankers beginning their careers, the School of Banking examines the primary areas of banking, including: bank environment, finance, leadership, technology and more.

ROI (Return on Investment) Intro & Presentation Development Directors
This course will allow banker-students to recap and integrate their Return on Investment for completing the School, based on the investment of time and money they and their sponsoring banks have made.
The entire class meets as a group several times during the week to receive instructor guidance on developing their formal presentation for the last day of class. Class teams work together to develop their presentations and to receive coaching support from the instructor. On the final day, the Cluster Groups will examine courses from each of the curriculum tracks, and identify specific on-the-job, take-home applications for what they have learned. Each Cluster Group will prepare and deliver a brief ROI Recap to the entire student body, and suitable for internal presentation at the President and CEO level at their home bank. All Cluster Group members will participate in both preparation and presentation duties.

Team BuildingPatricia (Pat) Noel
Students have an interactive opportunity to meet each other while engaging in a session stressing the value of teamwork and the nature of team operations.

The Banking System & Role of the Federal Reserve Aron Carter
Students will receive a broad overview of the United States Banking System and financial intermediaries. This will include governmental policy decisions regarding the financial system and markets as well as the function and operation of the Federal Reserve system.

Introduction to Bank Financial Statements – Dick Grafmyre
The principal components of two fundamental reports – Balance Sheet and Income Statement – are described as foundations for the bank’s financial information management system. Primary emphasis is placed on relationships and correlations between the two reports, what they tell us about current status, and what they suggest might be done in the future.

Economics 101Mekael Teshome
As economic growth and interest rates overlay all bank decisions, the status of the economy and the implications for monetary and fiscal policy will be discussed. An economic forecast will be presented and there will be opportunities to discuss, debate and question where the economy and the Fed may be going.

Presentations Made EasyPatricia (Pat) Noel
This course helps students get ready for their ROI presentations. Some of the most and least effective presentation methods will be demonstrated.
 
Introduction to Asset/Liability ManagementTina Collins
This course teaches the fundamental relationships driving the management of a bank’s assets and liabilities. Special emphasis is placed on examining options for balancing the bank’s assets/liability position.

Fraud/ERMKevin Dodds
The course is intended to provide students a broad understanding of a Bank’s fraud risk program and how it is aligned with Enterprise Risk Management (ERM). ERM incorporates fraud risk management as a crucial component, aiming to prevent and mitigate fraudulent activities within a bank. Understanding detection and prevention practices are paramount for ensuring a robust and effective fraud program. In this course we will cover:  What is ERM? What is Fraud? Why do people commit Fraud? Impact of Fraud; Types of Fraud; employee expectations and responsibilities; mechanisms to detect and prevent fraud; fraud indicators or “Red Flags”; understanding employee fraud; and reporting fraud.

Business Ethics & Critical ThinkingRaymond (Ray) Learn, Esq.
A broad overview is provided of the expectations and standards of ethical conduct for banking
organizations and bankers. Case applications may be incorporated to provide “hands-on” opportunities
for students to apply ethical standards to real-life banking situations.

Marketing 101LeeAnn Gephart
The course takes a practical, managerial approach to managing the marketing process. Steps in the
marketing process, including market research, segmentation, targeting, positioning, the four P’s (product, place, price, promotion) are explored, along with concepts of customer value and satisfaction, competitive analysis, brand strategy, consumer behavior, advertising, and digital marketing (social media).

Intro to Treasury ManagementMichael (Mike) Jaeger
Provides an overview of the fundamentals of treasury services and how sales professionals can effectively support business and financial institution objectives. We will explore key treasury products and services, sales positioning, industry trends, compliance, and risk mitigation.

Overview of Consumer LendingAdam Unrue
This course defines Consumer Lending, reviews its importance to banks and provides an overview of common Consumer Lending products.

Technology’s Role in Banking TodayAndrew Linn
Join an interactive course that will cover how technology is changing the face of banking. In today’s environment, technology and operational competence is the key to successful banks - supporting acquisition, customer growth, and the regulatory foundation of the entire industry. Learn about emerging trends in Fintech and what related questions you should be asking your technology departments to help you perform at a higher level and win in banking today.

Compliance OverviewLinda Senft
This session will be dedicated to discussing an overview of Compliance including identifying federal banking regulatory agencies, the purpose and reasons behind regulations, penalties, and an overview of the key regulations impacting retail banking.

BSA/AML OverviewLisa Lopez
This session will be dedicated to discussing an overview of the Bank Secrecy Act and related regulations that cover anti-money laundering, sanctions, fraud and other topics that affect BSA personnel. We will also tie in the latest news and how it applies the BSA Department. We will conclude with the importance of communication between your Compliance/BSA staff and the rest of your organization.

Commercial Lending at Community BanksRichard (Dick) A. Grafmyre, CFP
This course will detail all lending products, how they are utilized as balance sheet tools, their impact on the banks income, underwriting, regulatory concerns, product costs, strategic considerations and how the interest rate cycle impacts the utilization of each product.
 
Deposit OperationsAubery Guzzo
This will be an interactive session with the students to discuss how deposits are captured and why they are important as a funding source for institutions. The types of deposits will be reviewed as well as different tactics for the pricing of deposit accounts. To round out the session, the structure of a deposit operations department will be reviewed.

Branch OperationsAubery Guzzo
This all-inclusive general session of “all things branch operations” will cover several items at a high level to introduce students to the art of managing a branch. This will include a range of topics from how to manage the building itself, technology in the branch, managing people to the importance of compliance.

Leadership 101 & Empathy in the WorkplaceJamie Campbell, Ph.D.

Relationship SalesEdward (Ed) Martel
A professional approach to building long-term printable, multi-product sales relationships with new and existing customers will be presented. Retail, commercial services, wealth management and investment sales practices and processes will be explored. Managing the sales interaction will be emphasized without detailing how to sell each unique product a bank may have to offer.

Intro to Wealth Management & Financial ServicesMark Renzini
Wealth management provides an extensive menu of “non-traditional” financial services and solutions to enhance a client’s experience with the bank. Consumers and clients will be better served in the future through this session.

Your Voice on Capitol HillPA Bankers Representatives
This session will discuss why advocacy is important to the industry, the community and you.

Moving Your Career ForwardRebecca (Becky) Stapleton
What does it mean to be at the PA Bankers School of Banking? It means that the leadership at your bank believe that you are playing an important role in its future. It means that the leadership at your bank wants to see you grow. In this class, we explore the skills, knowledge, perspective and behavior that will help you move your personal career forward as you contribute to the bank’s mission, values, and objectives. Each participant will leave the session with a blueprint for their future.

ROI PresentationsDirectors
Class teams take turns making their team presentations to the entire group on the last day of class. Teams highlight major learning points, the impact of this knowledge on their jobs, and the potential Return on Investment to their sponsoring banks from applying what they have learned. ROI Bottom Line-- bankers lock in what they learned at the School while sharpening their presentation skills.
 

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Dates:
June 7-11, 2026
Penn Stater Conference Center
State College, Pa.

Cost:
Member: $3,250
Affiliate Members: $3,750
Non-Member: $4,875

Contact:
Jackie Catalano
Vice President, Professional Development
(717) 255-6939
jcatalano@pabankers.com