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Thirteen Nebraska bankers recently graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado (GSBC), completing an immersive program focused on leadership, strategy, lending, financial management and emerging issues affecting community banking. The program equips participants with practical skills they can immediately apply within their institutions, enhancing their ability to lead teams, make strategic decisions and serve their communities. In addition to the academic experience, graduates build valuable professional networks with banking peers from across the country, creating lasting connections that support collaboration and growth throughout their careers. Congratulations to the following Nebraska bankers on this great accomplishment! (*Graduated with honors)
 Graduate School of Banking at Colorado (GSBC) - Nebraska's Class of 2026 graduates
Chimney Rock by Kacie Clark | Morrill County
Orange Sunrise by Jeri Schmit | Randolph Red Crew by Scott Gonsior | Fullerton Weathered Ground by Audra Johnston | Sheridan County Tulip Festival by Rachel Welty-Bourek | Valley Lake McConaughy by Mariah Covel | Ogallala Clouds and Reds by Scott Gonsior | Wolbach Courthouse & Jail Rock by Kacie Clark | Morrill County Summer Sunset by Chevelle Thomson | Platte County Autumn Song by Andi Grabast | Holdrege Veterans Day Northern Lights by Amanda Johnson | Scribner Winter’s Mirror by Andi Grabast | Buffalo County Where Hooves Meet Snow by Andi Grabast | Harlan County Gaggle by Mariah Covel | Scottsbluff Squirreling Around by Amanda Johnson | Scribner Red Blooms by Rachel Welty-Bourek | Valley Mother’s Love by Andi Grabast | Kearney Dazzling Daisies by Kathy Pagels | Cuming County The Watchful Eye by Andi Grabast | Harlan County End of the Day for Toby by Quinn Schieffer | Fordyce Raining Balloons by Joni Sundquist | Lincoln Almost Fall Sunrise by Francis Fiegener | Dawson Flock Flight by Mariah Covel | Scottsbluff Frost on the Frontier by Audra Johnston | Sheridan County Quiet Steps of Spring by Chevelle Thomson | Platte Center Pumpkin Harvest by Barb Empfield | Scottsbluff Longhorn at the Monument by Kacie Clark | Scotts Bluff County Speedway Cars and Coffee by Clark Hervert | Lincoln Harvest Eagle by Amanda Johnson | Scribner Sunset on the Prairie by Ricki Reason | North Platte Whispers of Fall by Andi Grabast | Holdrege Lining the Fence by Rachel Welty-Bourek | Valley Bluff in View by Barb Empfield | Gering Creek by Kaylee Robinette | Coleridge Nebraska by Mariah Covel | Ogallala Up and Away by Barb Empfield | Scottsbluff Irrigation Silhouette by Kacie Clark | Morrill County Wings of Winter by Andi Grabast | Holdrege Auble’s Pond by Clark Hervert | Ord Yuccas at Dome Rock by Kacie Clark | Scotts Bluff County God’s Green Glory by Jessica Cleveland | Scotts Bluff County Perched in Silence by Andi Grabast | Harlan County Four-Legged Oasis by Barb Empfield | Garden County Giraffe by Chevelle Thomson | Omaha Daybreak by Barb Empfield | Scotts Bluff County Stillness Over Gallagher Canyon by Hanna Cochran | Dawson County Willy the Woodchuck by Amand Johnson | Scribner Twilight on the Pasture by Jameson Trauger | Exeter Mallard Morning by Mariah Covel | Ogallala Dusting the Fields by Andi Grabast | Phelps County The Road to Rough Weather by Duane Schieffer | Fordyce Sunrise in Central Nebraska by Scott Gonsior | Fullerton The HALT Human Trafficking Fund continues to aid the fight against human exploitation with a new round of grants awarded to BraveBe, HTI Labs, Innocence Freed and the Set Me Free Project. These grants will support impactful initiatives focused on preventing human trafficking across Nebraska.
BraveBe BraveBe will implement the Love146 Not a Number prevention curriculum to provide structured, evidence-informed trafficking prevention education to youth ages 12-18 across southeast Nebraska. Through school and youth-serving partnerships, the program uses interactive, discussion-based lessons to equip youth with the skills to recognize grooming tactics, exploitation risks, and unsafe online behaviors, while strengthening protective decision-making and connections to trusted adults. By focusing on early prevention and risk recognition, this project helps reduce youth vulnerability to human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation across both rural and urban Nebraska communities. HTI Labs HTI Labs will strengthen the development and delivery of targeted human trafficking identification and response training for Nebraska Division of Children and Family Services staff, with a focus on both Hotline and Field roles. By helping child welfare professionals better recognize trafficking risk and respond appropriately at key points of contact across both initial intake and ongoing case interactions, this project strengthens Nebraska’s capacity for earlier identification, more consistent intervention, and stronger prevention within the child welfare system. Innocence Freed Innocence Freed will lead the Truth Uncovered: Human Trafficking Prevention & Awareness Campaign, delivering survivor-informed education across Nebraska through public events and community trainings. Unlike traditional education nonprofits, Innocence Freed brings a front-line perspective shaped by over 14 years of direct work with survivors, providing insight that is real, relevant, and actionable. This project will equip more than 1,000 individuals to recognize trafficking and take action, helping prevent exploitation before it begins. Set Me Free Project The Set Me Free Project’s (SMFP) Students Against Trafficking (SAT) pilot initiative establishes student-led campus chapters that increase awareness of human trafficking risks and prevention strategies among college students and youth-serving communities. SAT builds upon SMFP’s READY to Stand Curriculum, which equips participants with the knowledge and tools needed to identify vulnerabilities and prevent trafficking before exploitation occurs. Through this pilot initiative, student leaders will receive curriculum training and support to host educational events, peer learning opportunities, and awareness campaigns on their campuses. One chapter is up and running, another is underway, and three more schools are interested in developing chapters of their own. Funding from the HALT Fund will support four key components: training student leaders through the READY to Stand Curriculum, developing campus-based prevention workshops led by trained students, supporting student-organized awareness events and peer education activities, and providing staff support to mentor chapters and guide program implementation. “Preventing human trafficking, whether labor or sex trafficking, requires strong partnerships and sustained support,” said Richard Baier, NBA President & CEO. “These grants reinforce the important work happening on the ground to protect at-risk Nebraskans statewide.” Human trafficking occurs across the state in 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 or leverage technology to prevent trafficking. The next grant cycle will open in fall 2026. Visit haltfund.org for more information. Gov. Jim Pillen issued a proclamation recognizing April as Financial Awareness Month in Nebraska. The event featured student tellers from in-school savings banks sponsored by NBA member banks, highlighting the impact of these programs on financial education. In-school savings banks have been a fixture in Nebraska elementary schools for more than 20 years. Through these programs, students are able to make weekly deposits at their school-based branch. Schools oversee the custodial accounts, while partner financial institutions provide auditing support. Rather than earning interest, students are rewarded with incentives and prizes provided by the sponsoring bank. Interested in helping local students build strong financial skills? The Nebraska Council on Economic Education (NCEE) provides resources and support to establish in-school branches. You can find a list of in-school savings banks here. For more information or to get started, contact Dr. Jennifer Davidson at the NCEE at [email protected] or Gisela Jundt at the NBA at [email protected].
Students, teachers and financial industry representatives attended the Financial Awareness Month proclamation with Gov. Jim Pillen.  As devastation from the recent fires continue to ripple through communities across the western part of the state, the Nebraska Bankers Association Foundation has established the Banks Back First Responders Fund to assist in relieving the burden placed on first responders and fire departments.
Contributions to the fund can be made by credit card or check. To ensure donations are tax deductible, please make checks payable to the Nebraska Bankers Association Foundation, PO Box 80008, Lincoln, NE 68501. Memos on donation checks should read “Banks Back NE Fund.” The NBA will absorb all credit card processing fees to ensure 100% of every donation will go directly to the effort.
The NBA Board of Directors will work with the Nebraska State Volunteer Firefighters Association (NSVFA) to ensure dollars raised provide a wide range of assistance to organizations in need. |
