Ilene’s Legacy

Ilene Beal was a female pioneer who achieved great professional success and had a major impact in the Boston banking world beginning in 1970 through 1999. She spent the bulk of her professional career with BayBanks, rising through the ranks to become Executive Vice President and the right hand to founder and chairman Bill Crozier.

She was a dedicated and meticulous professional with a big heart who did everything she could to support, mentor, and encourage other women to follow their dreams and passions and never feel limited by concerns about other peoples’ views about the proper role and place for women. She often said that women could and should do whatever they wanted professionally: “I was raised to believe I could do anything. If I broke a toy I learned how to fix it,” she was fond of saying.

Ilene died at age 69 on August 1st, 2015 after a long and valiant battle against cancer. Her legacy continues to thrive through her friends and colleagues, and the work and generosity of her foundation.