2024 Citizens Business Summit
The 2024 Citizens Business Summit is scheduled for Wednesday, September 25, at the Lake Guntersville State Park Lodge. Check back soon for full details!
Continuing Professional Education for CPAs
This year CPAs attending the Summit can earn (3.6) hours of CPE as approved by the Alabama State Board of Accountancy. Be sure to specify this option at check-out when registering and we'll have your completed Certificate of Attendance ready for pickup at the end of the Summit.
Register Here
2024 Summit Agenda
Check-in and Breakfast | 7:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.
Summit Introductions & Welcome | 8:15 a.m.
Charlie Williams | President/CEO, Citizens Bank & Trust
AI in Focus: Understanding Its Impact & Potential | 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Jack Vonder Heide | CEO, Technology Briefing Centers, Inc.
Break | 9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
2024 Economic Update: Gazing into the Crystal Ball: Economic Outlook & Critical Policy Issues | 9:50 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.
Dr. Loren C. Scott | President & Founder, Loren C. Scott & Associates, Inc.
Break | 10:50 a.m. - 11:05 a.m.
A Different Kind of Career: Under Cover in the CIA | 11:10 a.m. - 12:10 p.m.
James Olson | Former U.S. CIA Chief of Counterintelligence
Closing Remarks & Lunch | 12:15 p.m.
The Citizens Business Summit
Fostering awareness in a challenging economic landscape
The Citizens Business Summit ("Summit") takes place in September of each year at the Lake Guntersville State Park Lodge. Since its inception in 2016, the Summit has brought the business community of North Alabama together for a "mini-conference", hosted by our Bank, and filled with economic, small business, and industry experts. The thought and effort behind the Summit arose from the desire of our institution to be much more than a Bank in the communities we serve. To be leaders, with a servant-hood corporate agenda that extends much further than simply accepting deposits and making loans. Each year over 200 attendees come together to learn, grow, and network. Our goal continues to be to provide them with something to take away, that can be helpful in their daily business or professional lives, and in their personal lives as well. Previous Summit speakers include: Lt. Col. Robert J. Darling who was the highest ranking military official in the White House on 9/11 and is author of 24 Hours Inside the President's Bunker, small business expert, Gene Marks; New York Times best-selling author, Andy Andrews; economists Loren C. Scott and Dr. Ed Seifried and more.
Meet Our 2024 Speakers
James M. Olson
Born in LeMars, Iowa. B.A. (mathematics and economics), University of Iowa. J.D. (international law), University of Iowa. Member of Iowa Bar. U.S. Navy (attained rank of Lieutenant Commander, USNR).
Career officer in the Directorate of Operations of the Central Intelligence Agency, serving mostly overseas in clandestine operations. Served as Chief of Counterintelligence at CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia. Overseas assignments in the U.S.S.R., Austria, and Mexico. Foreign languages: French, German, Russian, and Spanish.
Recipient of the Intelligence Medal of Merit, the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal, the Counterintelligence Excellence Medal, the Donovan Award, and several distinguished achievement awards. Awarded the Silver Star Award at the Bush School for excellence in teaching.
Assigned by the CIA to the George Bush School of Government and Public Service in College Station, Texas, as an officer-in-residence in December 1997. Teaching courses on intelligence, counterintelligence, and national security. Frequent guest lecturer at other courses, conferences, and symposia. Appointed a permanent faculty member of the Bush School in August 2000. Now serving as a Professor of the Practice.
Author of “The Ten Commandments of Counterintelligence,” “Fair Play: The Moral Dilemmas of Spying,” and “To Catch a Spy: The Art of Counterintelligence.”
Outside interests: church, tennis, bicycling, baseball (avid fan), foreign languages, history, literature.
Dr. Loren C. Scott
Dr. Scott is the President of Loren C. Scott & Associates, Inc., a 42-year old economic consulting firm whose clients include such large national firms as BP, BellSouth, Capital One Financial, Entergy, ExxonMobil, J.P. Morgan Chase, Nucor, Sasol, and a diversity of others.
He is one of the 50-member National Business Economic Issues Council, which meets quarterly to discuss issues of state, national, and international interest. This group has experts who cover international trade, Washington economic policy, retail trade, trucking, steel, chemicals, etc.
Dr. Scott is an energy specialist on the NBEIC. He has been interviewed on CNBC, MSNBC, and Bloomberg TV, in addition to several local TV stations, and his work has been cited in such publications as the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angles Times, the New York Times, USA Today, and the Financial Times, to name a few.
His career started at Louisiana State University in 1969 where he spent the next 33 years, rising through the ranks from assistant professor to the prestigious Freeport McMoran Endowed Chair of Economics and the Director of the Division of Economic Development and Forecasting.
Over the thirteen-year period from 1983-96, he was the chairman of the Economics Department at LSU. During that time, the Department’s ranking among the 3,000 economics departments in the U.S. rose from 101st to 38th. He is presently Professor Emeritus at LSU. He gives 50+ speeches each year on the state of the economy.
Jack Vonder Heide
Jack Vonder Heide is a visionary technology strategist known for his pioneering work in the field of digital innovation. With a career spanning over three decades, Jack has established himself as a trusted authority in the ever-evolving landscape of information technology.
As the founder and CEO of Technology Briefing Centers, Inc., Jack has consistently delivered cutting-edge solutions to organizations seeking to stay ahead of the innovation curve. Jack’s commitment to excellence has earned him recognition from large and small banks, privately-held businesses, government agencies, and a large list of trade associations. He has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Forbes, and many other top-tier media outlets.
Jack is a respected thought leader in emerging technologies. He is a graduate of the Artificial Intelligence Business Strategy program at MIT and the Ethics of AI program at the London School of Economics and Political Science. His forward-thinking approach has empowered businesses to embrace digital transformation and harness the potential of new technologies for growth and innovation.
Jack is a sought-after speaker, sharing his insights at state, national and international conferences, board meetings and executive retreats. He has been a guest lecturer at Harvard Law School and other leading institutions.
With his unwavering dedication to advancing the field of digital innovation, Jack Vonder Heide continues to help shape the future of technology.
Contact
Kasey C. Culbert
VP/Marketing
[email protected]
Citizens Bank & Trust
P.O. Box 250
Guntersville, AL 35976
256-505-4600