Ohio Bankers League Partners with SRA Watchtower to Guide 2025 Risk Forum Series

GLEN ALLEN, Va., July 7, 2025 – The Ohio Bankers League (OBL) has turned to SRA Watchtower, a recognized provider of holistic risk and business intelligence solutions, to guide its revitalized Risk Forum series in 2025. This series has been developed to support peer exchange among Ohio community bankers as the pace and complexity of risk continues to intensify across the banking sector.

“At the OBL, we are dedicated to delivering the highest quality education to our members. We continually evaluate our offerings and collaborate with members to identify and address any educational gaps. While our current compliance trainings are valuable, we recognized the need for a more comprehensive approach to risk management. Our forum format proved to be the ideal solution—blending expert-led instruction with meaningful peer-to-peer discussion.

Seeing Niki and Megan actively engage participants during the first session highlighted both their deep expertise and dynamic presentation style. It also reinforced the strong interest among bankers to deepen their understanding of risk management.” – Ohio Bankers League

The Risk Forums were relaunched in response to growing interest from OBL member institutions seeking to navigate shifting regulatory expectations, data management, and enterprise risk challenges. Sessions now include expert facilitation, case-based learning, and collaborative exercises led by the Watchtower team. OBL invited SRA Watchtower to lead the initiative based on its strong track record working with financial institutions on enterprise risk frameworks and performance management.

“We wanted to bring the Risk Forums back in a format that was both engaging and actionable,” said Tim Grooms, VP/Chief Operations and Risk Officer at First State Bank. “Having worked with both OBL and SRA Watchtower, I knew they could help us create a space where bank leaders could collaborate on the evolving challenges they face and proactive problem-solving from culture and credit risk to data strategy and AI.”

The March 2025 session convened senior risk leaders across Ohio for hands-on workshops and facilitated conversation. Niki White, Chief Growth Officer at SRA Watchtower, and Megan Turcios, Regional Director, led in-person programming, with CEO Ed Vincent and Chief Product Officer Jeff Fink joining virtually to present on data strategy and risk insights. Topics included:

• Cultivating a Culture of Risk: Niki and Megan faciliated a conversation on embedding risk awareness throughout the organization, anchored by an AgBank case study. Attendees shared examples of how leadership behaviors and communication shape risk culture.
• Building a Credit Risk Appetite: In a hands-on workshop, participants collaborated on building credit risk appetite frameworks. The session emphasized aligning risk appetite with strategy and using it as a decision-making tool, not just a compliance document.
• Leveraging Data as a Strategic Asset: Ed and Jeff's session focused on transforming data into actionable insight. They encouraged banks to move beyond reporting and use data for early risk detection, performance optimization, and cross-functional collaboration.
• AI and the Future of Risk: AI was a popular topic throughout the sessions. Open discussions gave attendees the chance to explore opportunities in automation, analytics, and scenario planning, along with the operational steps needed to implement AI and drive impact.

“The goal of these sessions is to foster meaningful, practical dialogue among peers and find more strategic approaches to risk,” said Ed Vincent. “Our team looks forward to building on the insights shared in March, with a continued focus on community, shared learning, and equipping Ohio’s banks to navigate the future of risk with confidence.”

Are You an OBL Member and Want To Join The Next Forum?

The next two sessions of the Risk Forum will be held on August 7, 2025 and October 14, 2025. To register for an upcoming session, visit: https://www.ohiobankersleague.com/Professional-Development/Event-Info/sessionaltcd/FRM_RISK02_2025

About SRA Watchtower

SRA Watchtower is a leading SaaS provider of innovative risk management and financial insight solutions, serving the financial services industry and beyond. Our suite of proprietary technology solutions and methodologies was built “by risk pros for risk pros” and designed to help customers optimize risk to accelerate growth. Watchtower, The Holistic Risk and Business Intelligence Platform™ provides practitioners, executives, and the Board with a timely, panoramic view of risk, enhanced by AI-powered data analytics, to make risk-informed decisions. Learn more at SRAwatchtower.com.