ABA chair’s background a unique blueprint

Editor's Note: This column ran in our Dec. 11 Pulse sent to more than 14,000 email subscribers.A story I wrote for this month’s BankBeat magazine on Kenneth Kelly being named chair of the American Bankers Association offered a blueprint for banks looking to find their next crop of leaders. .Kelly, who was named 2025-26 ABA chair in October during the association’s annual convention in Charlotte, N.C., entered banking less than a decade ago as chair and CEO of First Independence Bank in Michigan. Before that, he held leadership positions in multiple areas during a long career in the energy sector, including in 2012-17 as business development manager at Atlanta-based electrical firm Southern Power Company. In interviewing Kelly, I was struck by the connection he made between the banking and electrical industries. Both are heavily regulated and relationship-focused, affording Kelly the chance to change lives. “The jobs I worked during my career with Southern Company — everything from engineering, marketing, corporate finance and human resources to supply chain management, sales and M&A — helped me to develop my leadership skills and prepared me to serve,” he said during the convention.Kelly’s cousin, former longtime First Independence Chair Don Davis, had acquired the bank 35 years ago, and Kelly had been asked to make bank decisions and sit in on board meetings. Kelly committed to learning about the history and rules of banking, and was eventually asked to join the board by First Independence’s then-interim board chair.Succession planning challenges have been cited as a factor in why more banks are selling to competitors. Kelly’s comments illuminate a potential solution for banks struggling to find their next generation of leadership and scale. The skills Kelly exhibited — having a growth mindset and being a strong leader in a heavily regulated industry — transferred to banking and have helped First Independence Bank grow exponentially. Kelly’s traits show that being a skilled banking leader requires similar skills to other industries. Though not feasible in every situation, hiring leaders in other industries broadens the field of candidates for community banks at the highest level, ensuring more will remain in business.