• BANK EXECUTIVE
• Had a happy childhood until her stepfather was found dead in the James River; police labeled it a suicide, but he was most likely a victim of lynching
• Helped her mother with the laundry business while attending school
• At fourteen years old, she began volunteering for the Independent Order of St. Luke's, a religious insurance organization for Black Americans that provided financial support to its members in times of need
• Took accounting and business management classes
• Led a protest at graduation against the racial segregation of the ceremony
• Became a teacher, but quit after getting married
• Took over the failing St. Luke's in 1899 for a salary of $200 (about $5,000 in today's dollars) less than the previous leader, and transformed the Order into a driving force for Black economic opportunity
• Expanded membership to include more than 100,000 members in 24 states, and increased the insurance funds to more than $3.4 million (roughly $85 million today)
• Actively encouraged women to seek leadership in St. Luke's, and within two years, women held six of the nine executive board seats
• Started a weekly newspaper, the St. Luke Herald, which not only advertised the Order but also served as a vehicle for speaking out against racial injustice
• Opened the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank in 1903, becoming the FIRST female bank president in the U.S.
• Promoted economic empowerment in the Black community by welcoming monetary deposits of any size, and educated children about the benefits of saving by inviting them to open their own accounts with as little as one dollar
• Led the bank through multiple mergers, successfully keeping the bank open throughout the Great Depression

Bibliography: Drachman, Virginia G. Enterprising Women: 250 Years of American Business. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2002. Print.
(2015, Feb 28). Juana Briones. https://www.nps.gov.

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