The Graduate School of Banking at Colorado (GSBC) continues to prepare its community bankers to lead the industry by addressing inclusion and innovation at its 71st Annual School Session and 2022 Community Bankers Summit. Dr. Stefanie Johnson and Dr. Lamont Black will deliver their presentations on inclusion and innovation July 18 and July 26, respectively.

The topic of inclusion is nothing new to Johnson, who to date has received more than $3.5 million in external grant funding for her research focused on the intersection of leadership with diversity and inclusion. She is the author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller, Inclusify: The Power of Uniqueness and Belonging to Build Innovative Teams. Her newest work focuses on “belonging tech” – tech-enabled solutions – that drive diversity, equity and inclusion efforts by scaling great ideas to create massive transformation. Her presentation will take place at the Wolf Law building on CU Boulder’s campus in front of the entire student body and GSBC faculty.

For Black, innovation is about the potential for sharing information through a lens of cryptocurrency. While cryptocurrency originated as a digital form of money and may eventually become a widespread method of payment, most people today think of cryptocurrency as a form of investment. Beyond both of these trends, the underlying technology of blockchain could transform the way we record and share information. In his session, Black will challenge the audience to learn about the disruptive potential of cryptocurrency and blockchain and how every bank can start exploring applications of these new technologies. Black’s presentation will be delivered to more than 60 community bank leaders at its 2022 Community Banker Summit.

“We are so excited to have Stefanie and Lamont at GSBC this summer,” stated Michael L. Stevens, GSBC President. “They will challenge and excite our students, empowering their leadership in the bank, community, and the industry as a whole.”

GSBC’s 71st Annual School Session will kick off July 17 at the University of Colorado Boulder. Its 2022 Community Bankers Summit will begin July 25.