Rebeca Romero Rainey, chairman and CEO of Centinel Bank of Taos, N.M., was elected chairman of the Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA) for 2016-17. Romero Rainey was elected during the 2016 ICBA national convention, ICBA Community Banking LIVE®, in New Orleans. Her term begins at the conclusion of the convention on March 10.
“Community banks fuel local economies throughout America by lending to small businesses, creating jobs and helping local residents and their families build strong financial futures,” Romero Rainey said. “It’s my privilege to represent the interests of the nation’s community banks and the communities they serve.”
Romero Rainey, a third-generation community banker, has served ICBA and the community banking industry for many years. She is a member of the Executive Committee and board of directors. She serves on the Nominating and Lending committees and is past chairman of the Federal Delegate Board and Minority Bank Council. She has served on the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Advisory Committee on Community Banking and the Kansas City Federal Reserve Community Depository Institution Advisory Council.
Romero Rainey is past president and current board member of the Independent Community Bankers Association of New Mexico and is actively involved in several local nonprofits. She is director and co-founder of the Bridges Project for Education, a nonprofit focused on helping first-generation college students. She is also president of the Northern New Mexico Birth Center and board member of the New Mexico Partnership. In 2009, she was selected Taos Citizen of the Year and has been awarded the New Mexico Governor’s Award for outstanding women.
“Rebeca is an exceptional community banker who is eager to carry the community bank message to policymakers about the vital role community banks serve and their positive impact on Main Street,” said ICBA Immediate Past Chairman Jack Hartings, president and CEO of The Peoples Bank Co., Coldwater, Ohio. “We are fortunate to have such a well-respected banker working to help advance long-standing ICBA initiatives and protect the community bank franchise.”
Romero Rainey is a graduate of Wellesley College and the Pacific Coast School of Banking. Upon graduating from Wellesley, she returned to Taos with the dream of continuing her family business of running the town’s only local community bank.
ICBA is the only national trade association dedicated exclusively to promoting the interests of locally operated community banks and savings institutions. With trusted financial expertise and high-quality customer service as their hallmarks, community banks offer the best financial-services option for millions of consumers, small businesses and agricultural enterprises.
The Independent Community Bankers of America®, the nation’s voice for more than 6,000 community banks of all sizes and charter types, is dedicated exclusively to representing the interests of the community banking industry and its membership through effective advocacy, best-in-class education and high-quality products and services.