Mary Kay Bates, president and chief executive officer of Bank Midwest, has been elected chair of the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado (GSBC) for 2021.
Bates graduated with honors from GSBC in 2009 and has served as a trustee since 2015. In addition, she is a trustee for Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake, Iowa and is also recognized as an active leader and volunteer, having served on multiple boards to enrich quality of life and economic development within her community.
“Mary Kay’s strategic planning expertise is unmatched. A growth-oriented leader will serve GSBC well in the coming year considering all of the unknown that lies ahead,” states GSBC President Tim Koch. “We are fortunate to have her spearhead our upcoming initiatives.”
With a banking career that spans more than 25 years, she joined Bank Midwest in 1995. As an executive leader at the bank the past 15 years, her responsibilities have progressively increased to strategic initiatives that include acquisitions and growth strategies, operational effectiveness and workforce engagement. Leading customer-centric change and innovation has become priority in her current role. She also serves on the Bank Midwest and Goodenow Bancorporation Boards of Directors in addition to serving on the boards of QCR Holdings and the Iowa Bankers Association. She is also a committee member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s Community Depository Institution Advisory Council.
“Congratulations to Mary Kay,” said Bank Midwest Board Chairman Steve Goodenow. “Her decisive leadership and drive for innovation have been key to our success and should serve GSBC well to shape the coming year.”
Bates succeeds Tim Karsky, president of Choice Bank in Bismarck, N.D.
Bank Midwest is an employee-owned organization with locations in Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota and assets of $1 billion. Bank Midwest is a full-service financial institution offering loans and traditional FDIC-insured accounts, as well as insurance, investment and trust services. (Investment and insurance services are not deposits, not FDIC insured, not guaranteed by the bank and may go down in value.)