Lexington, KY - When she was a young girl, Laura Boison visited JP Morgan's New York City headquarters with her mother and had a grandiose dream that someday, it might be fun to be a banker and work in a beautiful building such as that. What she didn't realize at the time was how those fleeting early desires would eventually lead to a successful career spanning three decades in the finance industry.
Boison, now a mother of five, is as devoted to her family as she is to her vocation, working 60-hour weeks but always finding time to squeeze in travel and fun activities. Currently, she is the senior vice president and commercial team leader for the central and northeast Kentucky market at US Bank, where she is primarily responsible for sales and credit quality for the commercial portfolio, including loans, deposits, treasury management, services, and community involvement.
While she has only been working for US Bank since May 2010, the path toward Boison's current position began from the moment she finished her final exams at the University of Kentucky, where she received an undergraduate degree in accounting.
"I literally walked from the Gatton College building to First Security National Bank and applied for a job," remembered Boison, who was hired as a teller, and then promoted from a credit analyst to the manager of that department. Then, at age 22, Boison became a commercial lender for what was then the largest bank in Central Kentucky.
Following a 30-year stint with First Security National/Bank One/Chase, during which Boison held several different management positions, she jumped at an opportunity to join ESBarr and Company, an investment advisor firm with an impressive reputation. In time, however, Boison learned that she missed managing people and having the broader involvement with commercial businesses and community work. It was then that she learned about the opportunity US Bank.
It's not surprising that Boison's mother, who was responsible for her first glimpse of the financial world at JP Morgan, has been her biggest influence and inspiration.
"My mother is the most talented, generous female I know," said Boison, who was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and lived in Florida and Alabama as a child. "She was a pioneer of her time - she graduated from college, pursued a career with Proctor and Gamble, and is also an incredible artist, sculptor, cook, and person.
She never held us back, invested in her children, and taught me the love of an adventure."
Following the example of her mother, Boison devotes her energy first to her family, and then to the many boards on which she serves in her spare time. Some of her most notable extracurricular involvements include being president of Hospice of the Bluegrass and treasurer of Commerce Lexington.
While she has been named an outstanding woman by the Woman's Club of Central Kentucky, as well as a top woman in business by the Lane Report in the past, Boison considers her biggest accomplishment to be the fact that her children are in good places in their lives. "If there is one responsibility that I hold most dear it is to provide a firm footing for them to move forward in their lives," she said.
By working hard at everything she does, giving back to others, and remaining strong in the midst of life's challenges, Boison is a prime example of a woman who has never given up on her dreams. "If you are dedicated to doing your best, then most bumps are non-events at best," she said. "Every career has challenges regard-less of gender and every person has the right to navigate around the challenges.
"Success is defined so many ways and often is an individual definition. It is not always about the title or salary, but rather the ability to help and foster another person."