The NBA and ABA are offering two $1,500 scholarships for emerging leaders or young bankers to attend the ABA Washington Summit and Emerging Leaders Forum, March 9-11 in Washington, D.C. Event registration is free, and the scholarships may be used to help cover travel and hotel expenses.

In addition, NBA leadership has approved $750 NBA Summit Challenge scholarships for applicants who are not selected for the joint $1,500 awards. Any travel costs beyond $750 will be the responsibility of the individual or their bank.

​All bankers are invited to join the NBA in attendance at the Summit, meet with Nebraska's congressional delegation and hear directly from lawmakers and regulators on key banking issues.

The NBA Foundation is awarding up to 10 scholarships of $2,500 each to college juniors and seniors who are interested in pursuing careers in banking. The scholarship amount was recently increased by the NBA Foundation Committee.

​Applicants must be Nebraska residents attending a state or private college, maintain at least a 3.0 GPA, and submit an essay, resume, transcript and a letter of support from an NBA-member banker. The application deadline is Jan. 31.

Share this opportunity with eligible students and help inspire the next generation of Nebraska's banking workforce. 

2025 NBA Foundation scholarship recipients with NBA Chair-Elect Travis Sears (left; Union Bank & Trust, Lincoln) and NBA Chair Mark Linville (right front; First State Bank, Randolph) at the 2025 NBA Annual Convention

The HALT Human Trafficking Fund has awarded its second round of grants to the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office, the Sandhills Crisis Intervention Program and the Set Me Free Project. These grants will support projects aimed at preventing human trafficking in Nebraska.

Dawson County Sheriff’s Office
The Dawson County Sheriff's Office will implement technology enhancements to strengthen anti-trafficking efforts through increased law enforcement capabilities. The Dawson County Sheriff's Office serves a critical transportation corridor where thousands of people pass through on I-80 daily, making advanced technology essential for identifying and preventing human trafficking.
 
Sandhills Crisis Intervention Program
The Sandhills Crisis Intervention Program will host a trafficking survivor and forensic nurse to deliver educational presentations aimed at preventing human trafficking. The program will train students, teachers, parents, community members and law enforcement to identify red flags, grooming techniques and trafficking indicators. The Sandhills Crisis Intervention Program works to prevent and eliminate interpersonal and family violence in Arthur, Deuel, Garden, Grant, Keith and Perkins Counties.
 
Set Me Free Project
The Set Me Free Project will develop the READY to Stand Empower Toolkit, a secure, trauma-informed digital platform that expands the organization's human trafficking prevention curriculum. The platform will deliver customized learning about healthy relationships, digital safety and emotional well-being through innovative technology and evidence-informed instructional design. The Set Me Free Project is dedicated to stopping human trafficking before it starts through prevention education for all ages.
 
"These grants will strengthen critical efforts to prevent human trafficking across our state," said Richard Baier, president and CEO of the Nebraska Bankers Association. "We're proud to support organizations that are protecting vulnerable Nebraskans in communities throughout our state."
Human trafficking occurs statewide in Nebraska communities of all sizes. The Nebraska Attorney General's Human Trafficking Task Force reported calls to the Nebraska Human Trafficking Hotline from every corner of the state. If you suspect human trafficking, call the Nebraska Human Trafficking Hotline at 833-PLS-LOOK (833-757-5665). 
 
If you are a victim or need help, call or text for confidential, 24/7 assistance. The National Human Trafficking Hotline is available in more than 200 languages. Call 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733 (BeFree).
 
The HALT Human Trafficking Fund was established in 2024 by the Nebraska banking industry and is supported by community stakeholders. Grants are awarded to Nebraska-based nonprofits, government entities and educational institutions for projects that provide education, advance data analysis or leverage technology to prevent trafficking. The next grant cycle will open in spring 2026. Visit haltfund.org for more information.

The Nebraska Bankers Association announces Margaret (Margie) Burkholder, chief operations officer at West Gate Bank in Lincoln, as the recipient of the Alice Dittman Trailblazer Award for Women in Banking. The award was presented at the NBA's 2025 Women in Banking Conference.
 
Named in honor of Alice Dittman, a trailblazing leader in Nebraska's banking and business communities, the award recognizes a young, female banker who demonstrates exceptional leadership, professional achievement and community service. Nominees are evaluated based on their impact within their bank, contributions to their community and commitment to the banking industry and the Nebraska Bankers Association.
 
As chief operations officer, Burkholder provides strategic oversight and direction for West Gate Bank’s operations and plays a key role in shaping the bank’s long-term vision. She also helped develop the West Gate Bank Code of Excellence, which defines and guides the organization’s culture and values.
 
West Gate Bank President and CEO Carl Sjulin nominated Burkholder for the award. "Her servant leadership is a role model for women at West Gate Bank, where she has been a pathfinder for the members of our executive committee,” Sjulin said. “Margie inspires those around her to think bigger, push harder and do better.”
 
Burkholder is active in several veterans’ organizations, including the Department of Nebraska Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary, VFW Auxiliary #3606 and the American Legion Auxiliary Post #355. She has also served on the boards of the Lincoln Children’s Museum, Lincoln-Lancaster County Crime Stoppers and Fresh Start.
 
As part of the award, recipients receive $1,000 to be donated to a charity of her choice. Burkholder has chosen to direct her donation to the Department of Nebraska Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary.
 
Burkholder is a member of the NBA Leadership Class of 2022 and a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
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"We're proud to recognize Margie as she continues to pave the way for the next generation of women leaders in Nebraska banking,” said Richard Baier, president and CEO of the NBA. “Her accomplishments at West Gate Bank and her commitment to serving veterans and her community make her an outstanding recipient of this award."

From left: West Gate Bank President and CEO Carl Sjulin, Margie Burkholder (2025 Trailblazer Award recipient; West Gate Bank), Mandy Hoover (2024 Trailblazer Award recipient; Adams Bank & Trust), and NBA ​EVP/COO/Director of Education Ron Arrigo

Fred Bruning is a fourth-generation banker, farmer and rancher who currently serves as CEO of Bruning Bank. He began working alongside his grandfather in banking as a child and formally joined the family bank in 1991, when it held about $50 million in assets and operated from a single location. Under his leadership, Bruning Bank has grown to six locations across central and south-central Nebraska with more than $600 million in assets.
 
Bruning was the driving force in establishing and securing funding for the ag banking and finance major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where students receive scholarships and gain hands-on experience through internships at Nebraska banks. He also helped create the Heifer Link program at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, which gives students a bred heifer during their fourth semester to support their future in livestock production.
 
He has represented Nebraska agriculture and rural banking through his service on the American Bankers Association Farm Credit Task Force, the USDA Task Force on Ag Policy and Rural Development, the Nebraska Bankers Association Government Relations Committee and the Nebraska Community Foundation Board. In 2015, he received the Outstanding Alumni Award from the UNL Department of Agricultural Economics, and in 2018, he earned the American Bankers Association Bruning Award for contributions to rural banking.
 
Penni Bruning began her career in nursing, where she was instrumental in advancing cardiac rehabilitation programs in Nebraska. After two decades in health care, she purchased and now manages Feedlot Fencing LLC, a company that manufactures and supplies fencing for feedlots, ranches, dairies and other livestock operations across the Midwest.
 
Penni has also been active in community foundations, education programs, and volunteer service, including nearly two decades chairing the Bruning Community Foundation’s China Luncheon fundraiser, which has supported local projects and strengthened community ties.
 
Together, Fred and Penni operate a diversified farm and cattle business that includes about 400 cow-calf pairs and a feedlot, continuing a family tradition in agriculture dating back to the 1950s.
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The NBA is proud to recognize Fred and Penni Bruning for their outstanding contributions to Nebraska's agriculture and their unwavering community service. Their leadership and commitment reflect the spirit of the NBA Agri-business Recognition Award.