From the initial one-on-one interviews with each member of our senior leadership team to serving as a facilitator at our off-site meeting, your hands-on involvement and that of your team helped us to improve and better focus on both the short and long term operating and strategic issues we face as a community bank.

H. Wayne Griest, Continental Bank

Michelle provided the skill and knowledge to effectively facilitate our directors’ strategic planning session. She led our team to discuss and develop tangible goals for our bank growth plans and management priorities. We would strongly recommend Michelle and m.rae associates!

Jay Isaacs, FirstCapital Bank of Texas

Michelle is not a once-and-done facilitator. I think that has to do with her philosophy of strategic planning itself – that it’s a process versus an event. This is not an easy curve to round when dealing with a mix of board and management perspectives. But her personal, in-depth discovery prior to the session itself quickly gets all involved on the same page. It ensures that each meeting and planning session is focused on the correctly defined subject matter, which ensures the efficient use of meeting time and an effective agenda for targeted results. 

Mark Tryniski, Community Bank N.A.

Michelle is much attuned to the issues facing community banks today. I have found her presentations to be well organized and rich with thought-provoking, actionable content, and her writings, which I follow through her blog, are insightful, entertaining and timely.

Pat Reilly, Mauch Chunk Trust Company

Before Michelle facilitated a single session, she did what many fail to do. She took the time to get to know us. Her team’s targeted approach helped engage and maximize our board and management team towards our strategic vision. Further, she has a love for retail banking that I relish; she knows how good it can be when done right. As I near retirement and proudly witness our planned transition of leadership, I am grateful for Michelle’s contributions to TDECU’s future. 

Ed Speed, Texas Dow Employees Credit Union

The Art of Succession Planning was great because it importantly underscores the need to engage in succession planning throughout the bank, not just the CEO position. 

Dave Vernon, First National Bank of Orrville

I found The Art of Succession Planning to be a very useful tool in looking at the present and the future of my community bank. The straightforwardness of the book adds value to any CEO or bank executive who reads it. The book is a road map on how to address an ongoing concern of boards of directors and regulators and more importantly protect the legacy and ensure the ongoing value of a bank.

Stephen Hailer, North Akron Savings Bank

Michelle’s succession planning process identifies weak employees, those with potential, and those who are already making strong contributions. From there, she enables a professional development program to broaden your workforce’s collective experience.

Elmer Gates, Embassy Bank for the Lehigh Valley