The Indiana Bankers Association named Danielle Conner as its 2024 Woman of the Year and Taylor Mills as its Woman on the Rise for this year on Nov. 6 during the IBA Banking on Women conference in Noblesville.
Conner is senior vice president of risk management at Spencer, Ind.-based Owen County State Bank. The Woman of the Year award honors a woman in banking who is proficient in the industry, active in the community and supports other women.
Woman on the Rise recognition is for a woman in banking age 40 or younger who is making a major impact in her industry and community. Mills is vice president at Converse, Ind.-based First Farmers Bank & Trust Co.
Conner volunteers with nearly a dozen charitable, civic and economic development organizations. She also manages the charitable giving programs at her southwest Indiana-based bank. She graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University and the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin.
Indiana Bankers Association President and CEO Amber Van Til called Conner “an accomplished, selfless leader who dedicates countless hours to bettering everyone around her with a unique blend of compassion and strength. We are proud to count her among our ranks and appreciate all she does in support of the Indiana banking community and her local community.”
Owen County Bank Senior Vice President Jennifer Newsom said Mills’ recent promotion to vice president “signifies not only Taylor’s expertise in day-to-day branch operations and management, but is also a testament to the leadership, strategic thinking and financial acumen required to handle larger-scale investments.”
Mills has an associate degree from Indianapolis-based Ivy Tech Community College, a bachelor’s from Indiana University-Kokomo and a certificate in nonprofit leadership from Indiana Wesleyan University.
“She is dedicated not only to her own growth as a lifelong learner, but the growth of others through one-on-one mentoring, a passion for her community and a drive to see others succeed,” Van Til said. “I am ecstatic to count Taylor among the Indiana banking community and cannot wait to see what she does next.”
