The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City hosted its annual “Banking and the Economy” forums during the fall of 2020 to help equip women and people of color with tools to enhance their careers and increase their awareness of the Federal Reserve’s mission and resources. The series includes two annual forums—Minorities in Banking and Women in Banking—as well as ongoing webinars. Due to the virtual delivery of the 2020 forums because of the coronavirus pandemic, each was marketed to a national audience.

“We are in unprecedented times, which made presenting the conferences both more challenging and more critical than ever,” said Chloé Davidson, program manager for the Banking and the Economy series. “The all-virtual experience provided the unique opportunity for us to reach a broader audience and address timely topics to inform, motivate and connect attendees.”

In September, “A Forum for Minorities in Banking” attracted banking and financial services industry professionals from across the United States. The fifth annual forum planning was led by the Kansas City Fed, in partnership with the other 11 Reserve Banks and the Board of Governors. The virtual platform allowed the conference to grow from 150 attendees in 2019 to more than 700 attendees, with representation from more than 300 organizations and 42 states.

In October, the Kansas City Fed hosted “A Forum for Women in Banking” in partnership with the Oklahoma Bankers Association and the Community Bankers Association of Oklahoma. The conference virtually convened women leaders from across the Tenth District for a day of banking, economic and leadership topics. The event included more than 300 participants, representing more than 200 organizations across more than 20 states.

A webinar series was launched in July to complement the Banking and the Economy forums. The webinars provided content on a range of topics including leading inclusively during a crisis, the history of America’s Black banks, economic and financial services updates, as well as cybersecurity tips. The series reached nearly 800 viewers from across the country.

“Under the cloud of a pandemic, we worked very hard and remained agile to design and deliver the virtual forums and webinars,” said Senior Vice President Tammy Edwards, who oversees Tenth District stakeholder engagement programs. “The expanded reach and feedback we received indicated the programming resonated with our stakeholders.”

Further Resources

Visit our Events page to learn more about these forums and register for future programs.