B. LaRae Orullian
Bessie LaRae Orullian | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 13, 1933 Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Banking professional, corporate leader |
| Known for | Founding president and CEO of the Women's Bank of Denver; National President of the Girl Scouts of the USA |
Bessie LaRae Orullian (born May 13, 1933) is an American banking professional, corporate leader, and former national president of the Girl Scouts of the USA. She is also referred to as B. LaRae Orullian or LaRae Orullian.
Biography
Orullian was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. She entered the banking industry through entry-level positions before advancing to a loan processing role. Although her initial ambition was to pursue a career on Wall Street, she established herself in Denver by joining Guaranty Bank as a secretary and rapidly progressed through the ranks. Committed to becoming a bank officer—a position predominantly held by men at the time—she dedicated 14 years to evening studies, earning three certifications from the American Bankers Association and undertaking real estate finance coursework at the Ohio State University Graduate School of Banking. Upon returning to Guaranty Bank, she took on responsibilities including training incoming presidents and frequently stepping in as acting president. Despite her expertise, prevailing gender discrimination hindered her promotion to bank president; she ultimately attained the vice president title but was still expected to serve coffee during all-male board meetings.
From 1977 until 1997, Orullian served as the founding president and CEO of the Women's Bank of Denver, which was created specifically to meet women’s financial needs and became the second nationally chartered women’s bank in the United States. During an era when many financial institutions required husbands’ approval for women’s loans—impeding female entrepreneurs—her bank rapidly secured $12 million in deposits within three months and recovered its startup costs within less than a year. Subsequently, she assumed the role of vice chairman on Guaranty Bank’s board.
Orullian was also involved with a Denver-based women’s collective known as "The Velvet Hammer," which confronted male CEOs regarding the lack of female representation on corporate boards by proposing qualified women candidates.
Awards and recognition
In 1983, Orullian earned recognition as one of Savvy Magazine’s top 20 corporate women, noted as a leading contender for CEO positions. She was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 1988.
Her leadership extended to serving on or chairing boards of prominent organizations such as Frontier Airlines and WellPoint Financial (Anthem Inc.). Additionally, she held key roles within the World Board (World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts) and acted as National President and Chairperson of the Girl Scouts of the USA.
In 1994, she authored an article in the Chicago Tribune announcing that the Girl Scouts would embrace a policy supporting spiritual diversity within their oath. In recognition of her contributions, Whittier College conferred upon her an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.) degree in 2004.