The 2010 Scholarship Winners are:

• 1st Place ($2,500) - Latrice Stringer, Lincoln University, Jefferson City, MO & INROADS/Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Intern; Topic:  “A Brave New World of Socioeconomics”

• 2nd Place ($1,500) - Katrena Armstrong, Missouri Bank & Trust, Kansas City, MO & Local Chapter Member; Topic:  “Leading in Times of Crisis”

• 3rd Place ($1,000) - Nadege Ngomsi, University of Missouri at Columbia, Columbia, MO & INROADS/Sprint Nextel Intern; Topic:  “Leading in Times of Crisis”

• Honorable Mention - Shanta Johnson, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City; Topic:  “Fight in or Flight from the Workplace”

• Honorable Mention - Crystal Boyd, Penn Valley Community College; Topic:  “Fight in or Flight from the Workplace” 

Debbie Dixon Receives Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s Diversity Change Agent Award

Debbie Dixon recently received the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s highest diversity award for the leadership, communication and organizational skills she demonstrated when planning and implementing the International Oratorical Competition for the Urban Financial Services Coalition’s 36th Annual Conference held in Kansas City on June 10-12, 2010. Debbie is a member of the organization’s Greater Kansas City Chapter that is one of the Federal Reserve Bank’s diverse community partners.

Debbie Dixon (right) with President Tom Hoenig

US Bank Hosts NAACP

UFSC-GKC President Ola Truelove (far right) poses with Actor Lou Gossett, Jr., and Marine officers.

US Bank sponsored the screening of the "For Love of Liberty, the Story of America's Black Patriots" (FLOL) film at the 101st Annual NAACP convention, held in Kansas City on July 10-15, 2010. During the convention, 300 conference participants attended the FLOL screening and panel discussion at the World War I Museum. US Bank and the film were introduced by US Banker and UFSC Member Ola Truelove. Ola described US Bank’s commitment to veterans and then introduced film producer Frank Martin and actor Lou Gossett, Jr. After the film, Mr. Martin & Mr. Gossett participated in a panel discussion that included retired U.S. Army Colonel Krewasky Salter. US Bank is a premier sponsor of FLOL that has been shown on 365 PBS stations in 45 states and at many independent screenings around the country.

Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Hosts Reserve Bank of Malawi Officials

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City hosted a study tour for visiting officials from the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) on Wednesday through Friday, July 7-9, at the Kansas City office.

The delegation, including Governor Perks Ligoya, who leads the RBM, toured the head office and heard presentations from staff in each of the Bank's mission areas. The key objective of the visit was to show the
RBM officials how a well-functioning central banking authority works and provide them with specific ideas on how they can improve the RBM’s functionality.

The Federal Reserve Bank volunteered to host the study tour in conjunction with the Financial Services Volunteer Corps (FSVC). The FSVC is a New York-based not-for-profit organization whose mission is to facilitate the emergence of efficient financial systems in developing countries.

The RBM’s first day at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City ended with a reception that included 32 officers and members of the Greater Kansas City (GKC) and Omaha Chapters of the Urban Financial Services Coalition (UFSC). The reception began with an official welcome and overview of UFSC by GKC Officers Debra Bronston and Ola Truelove. Debra and Ola also presented Governor Ligoya with a framed certificate of appreciation from the GKC Chapter and an honorary International UFSC membership. Governor Ligoya was overwhelmed and extended an invitation to Debra and Ola to visit Malawi.

Governor Ligoya then discussed Malawi’s political, health, population growth and poverty challenges, its Financial Sector Development Strategy and its plans to increase the country’s banking supervision. Governor Ligoya said that he believed that his trip to the United States and his new relationship with UFSC was the beginning of Malawi’s road to recovery. He has plans to attend UFSC’s 37th Annual International Conference in Baltimore, MD.

2009 Scholarship Recipients

Ola Truelove and Debra Bronston with Scholarship Recipients Aparna Mehra (top photo) and Christyna Jones (bottom photo)

Since its inception, a component of UFSC-GKC’s mission has been to provide financial education to the public, with a specific emphasis on youth.  One of the ways that the chapter carries out this component is through its Scholarship Program.

Through an online application process, UFSC-GKC identifies college students and financial services industry professionals who:

• Are strong academically and have major course work that could lead to a full-time career in the financial services industry after college graduation;
• Are employed in the financial services industry and pursuing an advanced degree or certification; and 
• Are able to effectively communicate a topic affecting the financial services industry in writing and orally.

This year's topics were:

• Leadership From Every Angle
• Personal Accountability
• Is My Job Safe?  and
• The Consumer Financial Tightrope

The applicants presented their topics before the Scholarship Committee and were judged on several areas including: 

• Content
• Delivery
• Poise
• Adherence to Theme

Aparna Mehra of Emory University in Atlanta, GA, and Christyna Jones of Rockhurst University, both presented their views on the topic, “Leadership From Every Angle”.  After assessing their performance, the Scholarship Committee determined that Aparna was deserving of the $2,500 scholarship and Christyna was deserving of the $1,500 scholarship.   The scholarships were presented at UFSC-GKC’s 11th Annual Holiday Reception held on December 7, 2009 at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.