Bank Independent analyst Osborne graduates business school

SHEFFIELD — Geaux, bankers!

Bank Independent Senior Business Analyst Anne Osborne is among the recent graduates of the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University (GSBLSU). She joined 152 classmates, including a total of 38 women, and completed the rigorous three-year program on May 31, 2024, joining an esteemed network of 17,018 alumni.

An imagined chant of “GSBLSU! GSBLSU!” might not have the same ring to it as just “LSU,” but to Osborne it most certainly would sound delightful after completing the rigorous 10 bank study projects over three years and spending approximately 70 hours a year in classes.

“For three years, I spent two weeks over Memorial Day weekend living in a campus dorm attending The Graduate School of Banking at LSU,” Osborne said. “GSBLSU provides an opportunity to gain a well-rounded understanding of banking while meeting a great cohort of bankers primarily from the Southeast.’’

The Class of 2024 is the 72nd since GSBLSU was founded in 1950.

“We are incredibly proud of Anne’s graduation from the Graduate School of Banking at LSU,” Bank Independent CEO Rick Wardlaw said. “Her dedication to professional growth and excellence exemplifies the values we hold at Bank Independent. Anne’s success in the program and her team’s recognition as the Best Managed Bank reflect her exceptional skills and commitment to the field.

“We look forward to her continued contributions and leadership within our organization.”

The GSBLSU program is designed for leaders in the financial industry, focusing on comprehensive training and practical application in various areas of bank management. Over the course of three years, students engage in 10 home-based projects and attend intensive two-week on-campus training sessions each May. The program culminates in a Bank Management Simulation (BMSim) course, which serves as a capstone experience.

Osborne excelled in this final exercise, participating in a small group of six that was awarded the Best Managed Bank honor in the bank simulation. This competition involved creating and managing a hypothetical bank, making strategic decisions across all aspects of operations, and presenting results to a panel of judges comprising bank CEOs and examiners.

“The final, senior year culminates in a banking simulation in which you apply the knowledge and compete with a team of five peers against four banks also made up of peers,’’ Osborne said. “I was fortunate to have an all-star team and even with stiff competition, we were awarded the best managed bank in our community.”