Join Fidelity Bank P.O.W.E.R Program and the North Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce
at the latest Knowledge is POWER event designed to support the growth and development of the Baton Rouge business community.

Help us welcome Mikayla Bates of Prudential Financial Company and Madison Burris of Fidelity Bank to help teach us about

Sponsorships/Partnerships & Budgeting

This will be a Virtual Zoom Event. Please register in advance for this event. 

Register in advance for this meeting here:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Mikayla Bates is a native of Baton Rouge and graduated University High and Xavier University of Louisiana with a Bachelors in Accounting and a dual minor in Business Administration and Spanish. She currently serves many different roles that cater to the Baton Rouge community. Mikayla Bates has entered her 2nd year serving as the Vice President of the North Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce where she oversees the membership and creates events and opportunities for the community to come together to learn about the resources that local small business owners can take advantage of.

Mikayla’s professional career entails financial management as a Senior Financial Advisor for a minority-owned firm, Gulf Coast Financial Advisors and Associates, which has recently merged with Prudential Financial Company. She has been operating as a financial advisor since 2017. She was the top financial advisor for 2020 in the Louisiana and Mississippi region. Her passion is to bring financial education and awareness to everyone. She wants to make the money conversation easier and help build legacies for the leaders of tomorrow!

Last but certainly not least, she has her own business named The Chosen Generation where she helps young adults understand how they are chosen by God and how to walk the Christian lifestyle boldly and unapologetically. She has spoken to Xavier University, LSU, Southern University, and Jackson State, as well as done a few keynote speeches. She is passionate about empowering minds and letting them know it’s okay to stand out, be different, and be who God has called them to be.

Madison Burris received his license to be a Residential Mortgage Loan Officer after a couple of years in the Pharmaceutical Industry and started working for NOLA Lending in 2007. [Fun fact: NOLA Lending does not stand for New Orleans Louisiana but was taken from letters of the two founders last names]. At the time NOLA Lending was small with only about a dozen employees. As the Company grew so did opportunities and it was not long before NOLA Lending had nearly 30 offices spread over 6 different states. 

Madison’s responsibilities shifted away from originating loans and into more of a Marketing Liaison / Community Development role. NOLA Lending’s approach to marketing, brand development , and even sponsorships was non-traditional and had more of a hands-on approach. They found that getting their offices engaged and putting “boots on the ground,” they were able to establish better relationships. The better relationships not only led to an increase in business and better branding, but an actual increase in market share.  

In 2014 NOLA Lending was acquired by Fidelity Bank. While not the norm for most financial institutions at the time, Fidelity Bank started to adopt the “Boots on the Ground” approach.  

In 2017 Madison was named Director of Community Partners for Fidelity Bank. The program was new and one of its goals was to support Fidelity Bank’s Mission of being “Here for Good.” The Bank wanted to invest more in the communities they served while also tapping into the people, the energy, and the passion, specifically in the non-profit sector.  

5 years later the Community Partner Program has right at 200 Partners and continues to grow and evolve.