Photo courtesy of the American Bankers Association

The head of Reading Cooperative Bank is now the leader of the American Bankers Association for the next 12 months.

CEO Juliann Thurlow was elected chair of the ABA board at the association’s annual convention in Nashville, Tennessee over the weekend.

The head of the $1 billion bank said in a statement that one of her priories for her term will be to push the association to help banks expand access to their services.

“It’s a tremendous honor to begin this new role advocating for our industry, and I look forward to sharing all the positive things banks are doing to make a difference in their communities,” Thurlow said in a statement.

Thurlow is immediate past chair of ABA’s Core Platforms Council and currently serves as a member of the ABA’s Government Relations Administrative Committee and Membership Council. She is a founding member of Alloy Labs, a consortium of banks from around the country formed to innovate in the banking space and is a director of Atlantic Community Bankers Bank (ACBB). Locally, Thurlow serves on the MA Fintech Hub and is a board and executive committee member of the Lawrence Partnership, the Massachusetts Taxpayer Foundation, and a member of the boards of the Greater Lawrence Community Health Center and Winchester Hospital.

“As a dedicated and respected community banker committed to financial inclusion and innovation, Julie is ideally suited to lead our industry in this essential role,” Rob Nichols, ABA president and CEO, said in a statement. “She understands the critical role banks of all sizes play in our economy, and she understands the challenges and opportunities facing the banking sector. I look forward to working with her in the year ahead to make sure America’s banks can continue to meet the needs of their customers, clients and communities.”