LaRae Orullian

LaRae Orullian
Bank President
1933 -
INDUCTED 1988

LaRae Orullian was the first president and CEO of the Women’s Bank in Denver, established in 1977 which helped women to obtaine loans and credit cards at a time when most applications still needed a man’s signature.

LaRae Orullian, a former messenger girl in a Salt Lake City bank, stopped in Denver in the 1950’s on her way to Wall Street. She accepted a secretarial position at the new Guaranty Bank & Trust Co. Eventually, she moved to “mahogany row” to serve as the bank’s first female acting president. The bank became a leader among the nation’s minority and women-owned banks. Orullian went on to lead several other institutions, and continues to be a community activist who trains and promotes women in banking.

“I feel like I bounced against that glass ceiling a lot. But it takes more than just one or two people to really break that ceiling open.” — LaRae Orullian