Published: June 5, 2019

It’s not as common in this day and age for anyone to spend nearly 20 years at one institution or workplace, but Mary Banks, who is as uncommon and extraordinary as they come, did exactly that. Mary retired in early 2019 from ¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ and the Leeds School of Business after spending more than 10 years as the director of the Business Career Center and then joining the Burridge Center for Finance for an additional eight years. At Burridge, she served as director of corporate outreach and development and as the center’s manager. Prior to her time at ¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ, she served in a variety of leadership roles at Columbia University.

In her career at Leeds, Mary made an extraordinary impact on students, faculty and staff alike. She worked to make the Burridge Center the finance magnet for the Leeds School and orchestrated a number of financial career treks for students, including many to Wall Street with support of the Wolf Family Foundation. Her industry connections were pivotal in helping numerous finance undergraduate and MBA students obtain internships and jobs in the corporate finance sector. Not only was she a consistent, friendly presence among her colleagues at the Leeds School, but she also could be counted on to provide career guidance, a helpful ear or pragmatic perspective without missing a beat.

Mary’s legacy lives on in the careers of thousands of Leeds graduates around the world. Accordingly, the Leeds School is establishing an endowment in her honor to fund experiential learning opportunities, such as the career treks she helped to organize, for generations of students to come. Mary worked tirelessly to ensure that career treks and other learning opportunities were open to all students, not only those with the financial resources to participate—and that is exactly what this fund will do.

Make a gift to the or contact the Leeds Advancement office at 303-492-7040 for direct assistance with alternative gifts like appreciated securities.Ìý