Jill Castilla, Citizens Bank of Edmond, to Give Community Banker Keynote at 2026 CBRC

Jill Castilla, chairman, president and CEO of Citizens Bank of Edmond (Citizens) in Edmond, Okla., will be the community banker keynote speaker for the 2026 Community Banking Research Conference held Oct. 6-7, at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Cosponsored by the Federal Reserve, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC), the 2026 conference will be the 14th annual gathering of community bankers, academics, policymakers and bank regulators to discuss the latest research on community banking.

In 2009, Castilla took the helm of Citizens and led one of the fastest turnarounds during the financial crisis without additional capital, earning the bank American Banker's "Top Team in Banking" award in both 2014 and 2015. She also is the founder of ROGER, a digital-first military bank. A military spouse, military mom and former service member, Castilla is a Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army Emeritus and a 2025 inductee into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Honor.

Widely recognized as a leading voice in community banking and economic policy, Castilla has testified before Congress, and has served on the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Community Depository Institution Advisory Council and the Federal Reserve System Federal Advisory Council.

An inventor and patent holder, she partnered with entrepreneur Mark Cuban in 2020 to connect more than 250,000 small businesses to Paycheck Protection Program relief. Her work has earned numerous honors, including American Banker's “Community Banker of the Year” and 12 consecutive years on the publication’s “Most Powerful Women in Banking” list. A frequent speaker on Bloomberg, Fox Business and Yahoo Finance, Castilla has built a reputation for proving that community banking remains one of the most powerful forces in the  American banking system.

Her career began with management roles at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and service in the Oklahoma Army National Guard. She holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Oklahoma and a bachelor’s degree in finance from Hawaii Pacific University where she now serves on the board of trustees.