Women Lead Symposium : Massachusetts Bankers Association

Dates

Thursday, July 30, 2026

Time

1:00 PM - 4:45 PM EST

Location

Program Overview

Join us at the Women Lead Symposium to acquire the leadership skills you need to be a trailblazer at your bank and in our industry. Open to all professionals across the banking industry, this half-day, virtual program is designed to help you grow and become a more successful leader, whether you’re an emerging leader or a seasoned professional.

This joint effort between ABA and a select group of state bankers associations will also help you navigate key banking positions, cultivate a strong professional network and enhance your bank’s bottom line.

Level up your leadership — Navigate your leadership and career goals with practical insights you can immediately use. Industry leaders will be your guide to help you lead successfully and share how they did it.

Drive bank growth — Learn new skills to foster a thriving workforce that boosts your bank’s bottom line.vStrategies are applicable to banks of all sizes (community to large banks) and any bank role (entry level to CEO).

Build a network of peers — Cultivate a network of peer relationships that you can lean on throughout your career. The program attracted over 700 bankers from 43 states in 2025, offering opportunities to connect with diverse perspectives.

Date & Time

July 30, 2026

12:50PM Zoom Sign In | 1:00PM Program Start | 4:45PM Program Concludes

Pricing

Individual Registration • $169

Group Registration (5 Attendees) • $599

Grow the whole team! Consider attending as a team to build cohesiveness in workforce excellence strategy and save money on registration.

Who Should Attend?

The Women Lead Symposium is open to all professionals across the banking industry.

Questions? Check out our FAQs or contact registrations@massbankers.org

Registration Fees

Agenda

1:00 pm
	Welcome & Opening Remarks Sold Out! 0 Slots Left Rob Nichols, President and CEO, American Bankers Association
1:10 pm
	The visibility advantage — Women leading in policy and industry Sold Out! 0 Slots Left Kirsten Sutton, EVP Congressional Relations, American Bankers Association Visibility is about shaping outcomes, influencing decisions and standing at the forefront of the conversations that define our industry. In this fireside chat, lobbyists and advocacy leaders will share how they built the visibility that allows them to elevate the voice of banking every day. From navigating statehouses and Capitol Hill to building coalitions and guiding banks through complex policy environments, these women operate in roles where presence, credibility and strategic communication are essential. They’ll reflect on how they became visible in a field where influence is earned over time, discuss what it means to lead in risk averse spaces and share how they support the development and recognition of emerging talent to strengthen the next generation of banking leaders across the industry.
2:00 pm
	Breakout Sessions Sold Out! 0 Slots Left Breakout 1: Navigating your career for visibility — Building influence through intentional growthh Breakout 2: Seeing the signal: Data that surfaces women’s impact Breakout 3: Visibility through trust — Turning credibility into leadership capital
2:45 pm
	Break Sold Out! 0 Slots Left
3:00 pm
	Sustaining visibility — Strengthening the leader behind the vision Sold Out! 0 Slots Left Donna Rustigian Mac, Business Communication Expert and Mindfulness Coach, iVoice Communication Visible leadership takes real energy — the clarity to communicate, the presence to inspire and the stamina to stay “on” in demanding environments. This session gives advancing and accomplished leaders the space to recharge and rebuild the internal reserves that make sustained visibility possible. Through guided reflection and renewal practices, you will reignite personal energy, deepen executive presence and strengthen the resilience required to lead in a fast moving world. This is about sustainability as much as performance — protecting the leader behind the visibility so you can continue to show up with clarity, stamina and strategic vision in this new era of leadership.
3:35 pm
	Breakout Sessions Sold Out! 0 Slots Left Breakout 1: CEO visibility lab: Leading in full view Breakout 2: Communications lab: Language of leadership
4:20 pm
	Visible leadership in times of transformation Sold Out! 0 Slots Left What does it really mean to lead in full view, especially in moments of transformation? FIS President and CEO Stephanie Ferris, who has guided one of the world’s largest fintech companies through industry disruption, organizational change and a rapidly evolving customer landscape, will explore why visibility isn’t self promotion — it’s stewardship. It’s how leaders create alignment, inspire confidence and move organizations forward. Her leadership has required not just operational excellence, but the courage to be seen making bold decisions, communicating with clarity, and stepping into uncertainty before the path is fully defined. You’ll leave with a renewed sense of what it means to show up with purpose, speak with conviction and lead in a way that others can follow.
4:35 pm
	Stay engaged – Upcoming opportunities for leadership and growth Sold Out! 0 Slots Left Cathy Nestrick, VP Workforce Excellence, American Bankers Association

Speakers

Name	Organization	Speaking At
Cathy Nestrick <p>Cathy is the Vice President of Women’s Leadership and DEI at the American Banker’s Association and the former Vice President and General Counsel of a Fortune 500 business where she founded her company’s diversity and inclusion initiative. She is the co-host of the Parity Podcast which offers concrete solutions to accelerate gender parity. Cathy helps organizations with their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategies, and is a frequent speaker on topics such as building inclusive cultures, disrupting bias, creating diverse teams, and allyship. She is a member of the SPE DEI Advisory Board for the manufacturing industry and a DEI columnist for Plastics Engineering Magazine.</p>	American Bankers Association	-
Donna Rustigian Mac <p>Donna Rustigian Mac is a communication educator and President of iVoice Communication, Inc. She empowers leaders to communicate more effectively to elevate both performance and connection—This approach accelerates alignment, reduces friction, and ultimately saves time, enabling more effective and impactful communication. She works with leaders to manage nerves, strengthen communication habits, and speak with the clarity and confidence today’s workplace demands. Since 2022, Donna has trained MBA members to claim their leadership voice and communicate in ways that build trust and drive results.</p>	iVoice Communication	-
Kirsten Sutton <p>Kirsten Sutton serves as Executive Vice President of Congressional Relations and Legislative Affairs at the American Bankers Association (ABA), the leading voice for the nation’s $25.3 trillion banking industry and its more than two million employees. Recognized by Association Trends as one of Washington’s top association lobbyists, Sutton leads ABA’s bipartisan advocacy team, directing strategy and engagement with lawmakers and senior staff on the full range of policy and legislative issues shaping America’s banks and the communities they support. She is also the first woman in ABA’s 150-year history to serve as the association’s head lobbyist.</p>	American Bankers Association	-
Rob Nichols <p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(80, 80, 80);font-family:Lato, sans-serif;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:15px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Rob Nichols is the president and CEO of the American Bankers Association, the voice of the nation’s $24.5 trillion banking industry and the only organization that represents banks of all sizes and charters in Washington.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(80, 80, 80);font-family:Lato, sans-serif;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:15px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Since joining ABA in August 2015, Nichols has led the association’s advocacy efforts, working to ensure that banks of all sizes operate in a policy environment that enables them to best serve their customers and communities. In 2018, Nichols led ABA's successful efforts to win passage of the first major banking bill in nearly a decade. Among other things, the bipartisan legislation modified rules for community banks that were originally intended for larger institutions.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(80, 80, 80);font-family:Lato, sans-serif;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:15px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Nichols has led the charge to push back on regulatory overreach of the banking industry through advocacy and legal efforts. In the past several years, ABA has filed seven lawsuits against state and federal regulators, challenging overregulation that harms consumers and negatively impacts banks’ ability to serve their customers and communities.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(80, 80, 80);font-family:Lato, sans-serif;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:15px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">From January 2020 to January 2023, Nichols served as chairman of the International Banking Federation, whose members include the national banking trade associations representing every major financial center.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(80, 80, 80);font-family:Lato, sans-serif;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:15px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Nichols joined ABA following 10 years at the helm of the Financial Services Forum, a nonpartisan economic policy and advocacy organization whose members are the chief executive officers of the largest and most diversified financial institutions doing business in the United States. During his time at the Forum, Nichols led the industry through the financial crisis and the Dodd-Frank Act, guiding his members and the broader banking sector in its policy response and the law’s implementation.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(80, 80, 80);font-family:Lato, sans-serif;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:15px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Before joining the Forum, Nichols served in the George W. Bush administration as assistant secretary for public affairs at the Treasury Department, a position requiring confirmation by the United States Senate. In this role, he acted as chief spokesperson and head of the office of public liaison, serving as Treasury’s lead representative with the media, business, professional trade organizations, consumer groups, and the public.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(80, 80, 80);font-family:Lato, sans-serif;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:15px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Prior to that, he worked as communications director to the late Sen. Slade Gorton and press secretary to the late Rep. Jennifer Dunn. He began his career in public service in the West Wing as a White House aide in the George H.W. Bush administration.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(80, 80, 80);font-family:Lato, sans-serif;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:15px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Nichols is a recipient of the Alexander Hamilton Award, the highest honor of the Department of the Treasury. He has also been consistently named one of the most influential people in Washington by Washingtonian, and one of Washington's top lobbyists by The Hill. The Washington Post has described him as one of the “new generation of trade group CEOs.”</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(80, 80, 80);font-family:Lato, sans-serif;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:15px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">He is a graduate of George Washington University.</p>	American Bankers Association	-