UM Business School Gearing Up for 20th Annual Banking Symposium

By Stella Connell

University of Mississippi Communications

The University of Mississippi School of Business Administration and its Banking and Finance Advisory Board are gearing up for the 20th annual Banking and Finance Symposium, set for Nov. 12 at the Oxford Conference Center.

This year’s symposium kicks off at 8 a.m. with the first “Women in Finance” breakfast. The speaker for this inaugural event is Rebeca Romero Rainey, president and CEO of Independent Community Bankers of America.

She will be joined later by Jill Castilla, president and CEO of Citizens Bank of Edmond, and Scott Anderson, head of investment banking and managing director of Stifel/KBW, as additional keynote speakers. 

“We are excited to be holding our 20th symposium, and it has been a wonderful experience watching the impact of this event grow over the years,” said Ken Cyree, dean of the business school. “We have been very fortunate to have outstanding speakers over the years, and this year is likewise an incredible lineup of speakers and panelists to provide insight and wisdom into the industry. 

“The symposium has become the banking program’s signature event and the support from the industry has been outstanding, and will help us continue educating the future leaders in the industry for years to come.”

Cyree and Stan Viner, president of the Banking and Finance Advisory Board, will serve as co-hosts for the day. 

The afternoon will include two industry panels: “What’s Next?,” hosted by Viner and moderated by Scott Mills, president of William Mills Agency, followed by “M&A Trends in 2022 & Beyond,” hosted by Carl Chaney, chairman of Beach Bank, and moderated by Paul Davis, director of market intelligence with Strategic Resource Management. 

Other participants include Tanya Andreasyan, editor-in-chief, Fintech Futures/London; Zack Bishop, executive vice president, Synovus Bank; Kevin Tweddle, senior executive vice president, ICBA; Joe Berry, co-head of Depository Investment Banking, Head of Depositories Investment Banking, KBW LLC; Scott Kavanaugh, chair and CEO, First Foundation Bank, and Mitch Waycaster, president and CEO, Renasant Bank. 

“The mission of the Ole Miss Banking and Finance Symposium is to provide an unparalleled educational opportunity for the banking and finance industry in the Southeast” Viner said. “We accomplish this by not only offering an outstanding lineup of speakers and panel discussions, but also by fostering meaningful peer-to-peer industry conversations for the attendees. 

“This year, which is our 20th year, we will be combining all of that with an outstanding list of sponsors. The combination of all of these elements is sure to produce a lot of energy and information to better serve the financial community as we enter a post pandemic financial environment”

This year’s title sponsor is Stifel/KBW. Chairman sponsors are Cadence Bank, Chartwell Partners Executive Search, Community Bank, mTrade, Origin Bank, Regions, Strategic Resource Management and Trustmark.